For once and for all
by crimeseriesfan
Summary: Bones/Castle. I didn't put it in Crossover because I think less people read it. 3XK is back, but in Washington. Will the 2 teams manage to catch him? BB/Caskett romance included! Please give it a try!
1. Chapter 1

**The timing might be a little weird: Bones is still pregnant with her first child, so it's set season 7ish. But Castle and Beckett have been dating for about a year now, so that's in the end of season 5/beginning of season 6. I didn't put it under 'crossovers', because I have the feeling people read them less.**

**This story involves BB, Caskett, Esplanie and a bit of Hodgela. (That's how you call them right?)**

**Sorry if there are mistakes in it, English is not my first language.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Bones and Castle, only the minor characters I put in this story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1**

"Bones? Bones! Dead body waiting for you!" Booth yells.

He hears the toilet flushing and Brennan, heavily pregnant, comes out of the bathroom.

"I highly doubt the body will be waiting for me, since he or she is already dead, Booth," she states matter-of-factly. Booth smiles at her reaction. Then he walks towards her, wraps his arms around her waist and gives her a sweet kiss.

"Never mind, Bones, let's just go."

xxx

The crime scene was an apartment on 7th Street SW. When they arrived, Cam and the rest of the team arrived as well. They saw that the fire department was present and one of the firemen approached them.

"Hi, I'm John Howard. When I and my team came up here to extinguish the fire, we discovered the body. We don't know who it is yet. Apparently, she just moved here and the name hasn't been changed yet in the register and the landlord didn't remember who lived here now, since there are so many tenants in this building and he couldn't figure out what face belonged to what apartment."

"And why exactly are we here if the deceased was killed in a fire?" said Cam.

"Don't know, we called the police and one of the officers that came here apparently thought we needed you. Oh, and we have yet to discover the cause of the fire, but we'll try to stay out of your way. Follow me."

They all walked into the apartment and saw the body lying there.

"Well, now I understand why the officers called us in," said Booth, "no way that this guy fell this way, someone positioned him like this. In other words, somebody killed the poor guy."

"Woman," Brennan stated.

"What?"

"It's a woman, and from what I can see she was in her early 'til mid-twenties." Then Cam crouched down next to her.

"I think she was strangled but we'll have to bring her to the lab for confirmation. In the meanwhile, Hodgins, can you look for anything that might indicate what was used to strangle her, of fibers from the killers clothes, you know… stuff? I think Booth was right, this wasn't an accident."

He nodded.

"Okay, guys, let's go back to the Jeffersonian."

xxx

_Later that day, at the Jeffersonian_

"Yep guys, I'm sure, she was strangled. Dr. Brennan, can you investigate her body further for any other marks?" Cam asked.

"I'm on it, Cam," Brennan replied. Just then, Hodgins walked in.

"Hey guys, I found a few fibers that could belong to a rope or something, but other than that, the killer didn't leave anything. I'm not drawing any conclusions yet, but this guy could be pretty pro." Then he walked to his own lab in order to find out what kind of fiber it was.

Booth walked towards Brennan. "You know what I can't figure out?" he started.

"No, what?" She was listening, but kept on looking at the remains.

"Just… First the killer strangles her, then he positions the body like he feels remorse and then he sets the apartment on fire. I just don't get it."

Brennan turned away from the remains in front of her and looked him in the eyes. "You'll figure it out. We'll figure it out." Surprising Booth, she grabbed his hand, put it on her belly and with her other hand she caressed his cheek. "Don't worry." She let go again and turned back to the remains of the young woman. Cam pretended she didn't witness this private moment, but she was once again reminded of what a great couple those two made.

Hodgins and Angela walked towards them at exactly the same time and they both started talking. Hodgins, being a gentleman, signaled that she could talk first. Angela flashed him a smile, and then smiled.

"OK, so, I've got an ID on our victim. Carla Robinson, 24 years old. She was a hairdresser, and… oh, she was getting married." Her face saddened. _Poor innocent girl _she thought_ whole life in front of her, and then… _She was interrupted of her thoughts by Hodgins, who spoke next.

So, I took a closer look at the fibers, and they're from a 3-strand, twisted quarter-inch rope, made from green and white nylon."

Suddenly, recognition hit Cam. "Young, blonde woman, killed in her apartment, funereal positioned, killed with a rope made of white and green nylon… Guys, I know who did this."

They all looked at her, expectantly.

"It's the triple killer!"

Booth was the first one to reply. "I remember that case," he said slowly, "but wasn't that in New York? And he didn't set the apartments from his previous victims on fire, did he?"

Before Cam could reply, his phone rang. "Booth." He nodded a few times. "Okay, thanks Howard." Then he hung up.

"The fire was an accident. It was just a candle that was near the door. They think it fell because someone slammed the door shut. He didn't mean to start a fire. Cam, I think you're right. 3XK is here. I'll call the NYPD, maybe they can send the squad that worked on this over here. We can use all the help we can get, because from what I heard, this guy's a tough one."

xxx

_In New York, at the loft _

Kate's phone rang. She groaned. She tried to pick it up, but the 2 arms around her tightened their grip. Very carefully she removed them so she could pick up the phone. "Beckett. Yes Sir. We'll be there as soon as we can. OK, bye Sir." She hung up.

Her voice had woken Castle up as well. He'd heard the end of the conversation. "Kate, it's only…" he paused, reaching over to his nightstand to check the time. "6 AM. Stay in bed for a little longer, pleeease?"

"I can't. We can't. That was captain Gates; she said it's an emergency. And I think she meant it. So, stop whining and get up." She gave him a kiss and then stood up and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

He sighed, not wanting to get up. He did, though, so he could make some breakfast before they had to leave.

Not long after that he stood in the kitchen, fully dressed, making French toast. He heard her approach him, but didn't turn around. She put her arms around him from behind and kissed his neck. He turned his head a bit then, to give her a kiss.

"Morning. Sit down, breakfast is almost ready."

Within less than 15 minutes, they'd finished breakfast and they were both ready to go.

xxx

When Castle and Beckett entered Gates' office, they were surprised to see that Lanie, Ryan and Esposito were there as well.

"Sir, what's this about?" Kate asked.

"Sit down, and I'll tell you," their captain replied. Then she continued.

"I just got a call from the FBI, asking for your assistance on a case there. In Washington."

"In Washington? FBI? Why would they do that?" Esposito didn't get it, nor did the others.

"If you'd let me finish, please, detective Esposito… It's not just any case. Earlier this day, or night, they discovered a body in a burnt apartment. The victim was a young, blonde woman, who was killed with a rope made from green and white nylon, positioned as if she was lying in a coffin, and…"

Again she got interrupted, but this time by Castle.

"The triple killer? But he didn't set apartments on fire. Are they sure it's him?"

"I wasn't done talking yet, Mr. Castle. The fire was an accident. A candle fell, probably when the killer slammed the door shut. They asked for your assistance, since you handled the case a few years ago. And I order you all to go to DC **immediately**. Now go home and pack your bags. I already took care of the tickets. You have to be at the airport in an hour. You're dismissed."

The five of them stood up, shocked. They all thought the same: 3XK? He's back? In Washington?

The ride to the loft was silent, which was very unusual. When they arrived at the loft and stepped inside, Kate suddenly felt the need to be held. So she wrapped her arms around Rick and held him tight.

He didn't ask, because he understood. After a minute or so, he released her. "Come on, let's pack our bags."

35 minutes later, they arrived at the airport. They were the first, so they sat down on a bench and waited. The buzz from the people around her allowed her to think. Think about the past year, and how wonderful it has been. She was really glad she came over to him that night one year ago. She smiled. _God, that night was unforgettable! _They'd been together ever since. Of course they'd had some minor arguments, and also a very big one, but it turned out well. She moved in with him a little over 4 months ago. Again she smiled as she thought back. It was Christmas when he'd asked her.

_* Flashback * _

_They were sitting together: Alexis, Rick and Kate on the couch and Jim and Martha both sat on a big chair; Jim on the side where Kate sat and Martha on the other side, close to Alexis._

"_Time for presents!" Castle exclaimed excitingly. Kate rolled her eyes at this. He was such a man-child sometimes. But she loved him anyways. _

_After a while, all the presents had been opened, but then Rick went into his study. He came back with a small, rectangular box. He handed it to Kate._

_She was confused. He'd already given her something, what could this be?_

_Carefully she unpacked it. Then she removed the lid. Inside it was a key. It had a little photo frame hanging on it in the shape of a heart. Inside it was a picture of Rick, Alexis and herself. She looked up at him. Was this what she thought it was?_

_He took the key out, placed it in her hand and then folded his hands around hers._

"_Kate, I love you, more than anything in the world. I love waking up next to you every morning. I love to see how you move around the kitchen so easily. I love how you fit in this family and I'd really, really like you to move in with me."_

_Tears formed in her eyes and she nodded yes, before kissing him. They pulled apart when Alexis squealed and got up to hug Kate. _

"_Dad's not the only one who loves you, Kate. Grams and I do as well. You're like the mother I never had, my big sister and best friend all at once. I love you, Kate."_

"_I love you too, Alexis, I love you too."_

_* End of flashback * _

Then she saw Lanie and Esposito coming towards them, Esposito having his arm possessively around his girlfriends' shoulders. She smiled. Again. She was so happy they were together again. They were a perfect couple.

Not a minute after that, Ryan arrived as well.

They all stood together in a circle, and Castle pulled them all in for a group hug. "This time, we're going to catch him. And I'm not going home before we do."

They all agreed with that. Very soon they were on the plane, beginning the trip to end this for once and for all.

**Okay, this wasn't really Castle/Bones, but more Castle and Bones. That will change, however. I'm not really good at case stuff, but I hope you keep reading, because there will be cute moments as well! **

**Please let me know what you think!**

**-xxx-**


	2. Chapter 2

**In Holland, Castle ended a few weeks ago after 'The Blue Butterfly', and it probably won't continue till after the summer holiday. But I heard and saw things from 'Always' and then I just couldn't resist. I had to see the ending. Now I can't stop watching it…**

**And thanks for the story alerts and stuff.. (L)**

**Don't own anything, but I guess you knew that already. **

**Chapter 2**

When the three detectives, the medical examiner and the writer got off the plane, they looked around to see if they could find the FBI agent. They all turned around when they heard a female voice.

"Lanie? Lanie Parish? Is that you?"

Now they also saw the woman who had called out. She was standing there with a guy next to her, who was wearing a black suit, a read tie and sunglasses covering his eyes. Yep, definitely FBI. They walked towards them. Now Lanie recognized her.

"Camille Saroyan! It has been waaay to long since I saw you! Girl, I thought you'd disappeared off the face of the earth!" When she reached her friend, she hugged her tightly. "Never thought I'd see you again!"

They released each other and Cam introduced her and the man standing next to her to the rest.

"This is Special Agent Seeley Booth from the FBI and I'm Camille Saroyan, head of the Jeffersonian lab. You're from the 12th precinct, am I correct?"

Kate answered. "Yes. I'm detective Kate Beckett. These are detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan, my partner Rick Castle and apparently you already know Lanie Parish, our medical examiner."

"Nice to meet you, guys," said Booth, taking his sunglasses off. "First, you can drop your bags at your hotel and… wait? Rick Castle as in Richard Castle, the writer?"

"That's me," Castle replied with a smile.

"Awesome! Anyways, after you've dropped your stuff at the hotel we can head to the Jeffersonian. We got you 3 rooms in a hotel near the lab. Is that okay?"

"That's great, agent Booth, thank you," said Kate.

xxx

Roughly an hour later, they walked into the Jeffersonian. Ryan, Esposito and Castle were carrying boxes with files and other stuff about the triple killer, his victims and more. Booth led them into the conference room, while Cam went to get their other colleagues.

The guys got along really well, and they started talking about some guy stuff, to which Kate and Lanie rolled their eyes. Then Cam entered with 2 guys and 2 women, one of them pregnant.

"Guys, meet Detective Kate Beckett, her partner Rick Castle, detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito, and their M.E. Lanie Parish from the 12th precinct. They worked on the 3XK case last time. And New Yorkers, this is our team: Jack Hodgins, our bug guy, Angela Montenegro, forensic artist, Wendell Bray, an intern and Dr. Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist."

"Nice to meet you," said Beckett. When everyone was seated, she started to hand out copies of the 3XK files. Just then, another man walked in.

"Sorry I'm late. Traffic was horrible. I'm Dr. Sweets, by the way. I'm-"He was cut off by Booth.

"He studies people. You know, he knows when they lie, and can he can tell what kind of a person someone is by just looking at the guy. Shrink-y stuff, in other words." He looks apologetically at Sweets. "Sorry, but no one would have understood what you were going to say."

Beckett suppressed a smile and continued handing out the files. When she was done, she sat down.

"We're just going to tell you the most important things, the rest you can read in the files I just gave you. Espo, you can start, if you want."

He nodded at her and started to speak. "Quite some years ago, the triple killer strangled three young women in one week, dropped out of sight for a month, and after that he killed three more women. They gave him the nickname '3XK': triple killer. A few years ago, we got a body and Castle recognized the MO; she was killed by 3XK. The reason he hadn't killed for some years, was because he'd been in prison."

Ryan took over. "We arrested a guy named Marcus Gates. He confessed to all the murders in great detail. Details only 3XK himself would know. Castle and I went to tell Jerry Tyson his girlfriend was fine even though Gates tried to go after her. He didn't sound very relieved and Castle figured it all out. Paul McCardle, Gates' foster brother and the only person Gates ever cared about, had just had an expensive surgery, and he didn't have it until after Tyson got out of prison. He was the one who paid for it. He and Gates were in prison together, and Tyson had told him everything he needed to know about the murders so Gates could take the fall for them and McCardle would get the surgery he needed in exchange for that. Gates wasn't the triple killer, Tyson was. After Castle told him this, he uh… he knocked me out and took my gun." He swallowed.

"He tied me up to a chair, and he planned on shooting me. Or so he said. But I knew him and I told him so. Tyson was raised by only his mother. She was blonde. She never really wanted him. When Tyson was a teenager, she suddenly died. Drugs overdose, presumably. He went into bad foster care. He blamed his mother and he hated her so much for abandoning him. He killed all those young women to get back at her. But, as much as he hated his mom, he also loved her. That's why he left the bodies looking peacefully," Castle continued after seeing Ryan was having a bit of a hard time.

"He learns the victim's habits by stalking them. Very discrete, though. Then he gains access to their apartments by disguising himself as a security guard, repairman or something similar. He strangles them with 3-strand, twisted quarter-inch rope made from green and white nylon. And, as Castle just said, he arranges them in a funereal position. All the victims are blonde and in their early to mid-twenties," Beckett finished.

"What we have discovered today all matches up to what you have just told us," Brennan said. "The bone fractures clearly indicate strangulation and when we arrived at the crime scene the body was indeed funereal positioned."

"And this is him, Jerry Tyson?" Cam asked, holding up his picture.

"Yes it is, but it he probably changed his appearance. We won't be able to recognize him," Castle replied.

"I might be able to help with that", said Angela, "You know the program with which you can turn photos of young people in how they look when they're older?"

They all nodded.

"Well, I have something like that but then it gives possibilities for how people can look after changing something in their face. It's complicated, so I'll save you the explanation."

"That is just awesome!" Castle exclaimed. "Except that we're looking for a man who killed a lot of women which isn't awesome at all," he finished, after receiving some strange glances.

They exchanged more ideas and findings until Cam spoke up.

"I know the clock is ticking on this case, but maybe we should continue this in the morning. If we continue now, we might make mistakes, what we absolutely don't want. And everyone knows what he or she has to do tomorrow, so we can start off early and quick, and maybe we'll even see new things. I suggest that right now, we're going out for a drink, get rid of the stress. Anyone who disagrees?" She looked around, but everyone seemed to agree.

xxx

They'd packed up their stuff and went to the Royal Diner. The 2 teams got along very well and it seemed as if they were talking non-stop. The team from the Jeffersonian now knew about Kate and Rick's relationship, about Lanie and Esposito and that Ryan is married. And the team from New York knew that Angela and Hodgins are married and that they have a son, that Cam has an adopted daughter and that Booth is the father of Brennan's baby.

"Dr. Brennan, how long till…" asked Castle, gesturing to Brennan's swollen belly.

"2 weeks," Booth replied, before Brennan had the chance to answer. He put his arm around her shoulders protectively. She glares at him for the PDA.

_Oh, I recognize that glare, _thought Castle. _I get that one from Kate a lot too. It's the touch-me-again-and-I'll-kill-you look._ _Actually, they remind me of Kate and I. Except for the being pregnant thing of course… Yeah, let's not go there yet._

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a hand on his knee. Kate smiled at him with a hint of worry in her eyes. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled back.

"Castle, you wrote Derrick Storm and Nikki Heat, right?" asked Brennan.

_Oh God, _Booth thought. _Please don't insult him or his books._

"Yeah, I did. Did you read them?"

"Yes, I did. Usually I don't read such books, but I found myself really enjoying yours. They're very true to reality and from the way you described every detail I could see you're a very talented writer."

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan, that's great to hear and-"Castle was cut off by Lanie.

"Please don't inflate writer boy's ego more. His is big enough already." The others around the table all laughed, while Castle faked a hurt expression.

"Writer boy?" Hodgins asked.

"Writer _man, _Hodgins, writer man. I've been upgraded, but Dr. Parish just pretends she doesn't know that. You agree with me though Kate, right?" said Castle, looking to Kate.

"Actually, Mr. Castle, I'm not so sure about that," Kate replied with a wicked smile.

The others laughed again at Castle.

"Very funny detective Beckett, very funny. But you will pay for this, I promise you."

"Looking forward to it." And then she just continued to talk to the others.

xxx

_Later that evening, at the hotel._

"Lane?" Esposito called.

"Yeah, babe, what's up?" When she didn't get an answer, she walked out of the bathroom towards her boyfriend, who was sitting on the bed. "Hey, what's wrong? You know you can tell me everything, right?"

He nodded. "It's just-"He took her hands and pulled her down next to him. "3XK is dangerous, and we've seen what he's capable of. And usually I don't go all overprotective and sappy, but… Be careful, chica. Okay?"

She nodded, before kissing him softly on the lips. "I promise, as long as you promise the same."

She went to turn off the lights and crawled back in bed with him.

"Love you."

"Love you too, chica." But she was already asleep.

xxx

Just as Kate finished brushing her teeth, Rick showed up behind her and hugged her.

"Hey, beautiful," he said. She gave him a smile in return. When he didn't let go, she raised her eyebrows and met his gaze in the mirror.

"What, Castle?"

"Tyson nearly killed me last time, Kate. I don't want him to finish that job on you. I can't lose you, Kate, I really can't. I know you're perfectly capable of protecting yourself, but I want to cherish moments like this in case-"

"Stop it." She turned around. "You're right. I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself. And we'll catch him, because I plan on cherishing many moments like this in the future." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly, pouring all love she possessed in it.

He surprised her by suddenly lifting her up and carrying her towards the bedroom. He pulled back. "What? I did say I was going to make you pay."

**I hope you liked it. Review please? **

**-xxx-**


	3. Chapter 3

**God, I really am slow with updating, am I not? Sorry! **

**Some things I put in this story are completely made up, like some of Angela's programs. I highly doubt they really exist, but I just made them so the case won't be impossible to solve. I hope it's okay…**

**By the way, this chapter sucks a little…**

**Chapter 3**

Lanie, Esposito and Ryan stood in front of the hotel, waiting for Kate and Rick to show up. When they finally arrived, Lanie smirked.

"Took you 2 lovebirds long enough. _Late _night, maybe?" Esposito and Ryan laughed; Castle stuck his tongue out and Kate rolled her eyes.

"Very funny. Can we go now, or do you feel the need to continue talking about our sex lives, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda?" Then Kate smiled and started to walk towards the Jeffersonian with Castle. Ryan and Esposito immediately stopped laughing and Lanie ran up to Kate, obviously asking where that came from.

"But who is who then?" Ryan asked. Esposito glared at him and swatted him on the chest. He then continued to walk and muttered something Ryan couldn't hear.

"What?" Ryan seemed genuinely confused. He then shrugged and hurried to catch up with the rest.

Xxx

Lanie and Cam went over all the autopsy reports to see if they could find something that could help them, Brennan and Wendell continued with the latest victim, Hodgins showed Ryan and Esposito his own lab while also investigating some things, Beckett and Booth improvised a murder board and Castle went with Angela.

"Beckett told me you liked 'cool gadgets', but I bet you've never seen anything like this, Castle," Angela said.

"Oh, I've seen a lot of cool stuff. I don't think there's much that could surprise me."

"Watch this." Then she opened the program which could reconstruct a murder in 3D and played the one from their previous case. When Castle saw this, his jaw dropped.

"Oh my god, this is so cool! This hurts to say, but… I was wrong. You were right, this is amazing!"

Angela smiled, but dropped it after a second or two. "Let's get started with reconstructing Tyson's face." She was silent for a moment. "God that sounded weird." She shook her head. "Anyways, this is how it works; I put in the photo, then I have to remove his skin and everything until only his bones are left. Then the computer lists all the things that he can change and I can add those changes to his face and then we've got a new face. I can do it again and again and change different things. Do you understand it?" She turned to face him.

"Yes, but won't there be an enormous amount of possibilities?" Castle asked.

"No, not really. You see, some things can't be changed and some combinations are just not possible. I think we will be left with 4 or 5 new faces, give or take. And of course, he could change his haircut and color, put in colored lenses, but it won't change him drastically." She started up the program and began.

Xxx

"How long have Brennan and Booth been together?" Lanie asked Cam, while they were going over the autopsy reports.

"Almost 9 months now," Cam replied.

"Wait, that's only since she got pregnant. To me it seemed like they were together for a few years at least. How come?"

"Ignorance and denial. They've had this thing going on nearly since they started working together. It was quite frustrating, you know? All those glances and moments… He saved her life several times, too. You would say that if there's something that would bring two people together, it's after they nearly lost each other. But no, they kept ignoring it. And then he got a girlfriend. And it became serious." Cam shook her head. "Dr. Brennan isn't one to show how she truly feels, but I think he broke her heart. And he either didn't notice, or he pretended not to notice. And then, last year…" She fell silent.

Lanie took her friend's hand and squeezed it. "What happened last year?"

"One of our interns got shot by a man who was after Booth. Brennan kept applying pressure on his wound but he'd lost too much blood already. He died in her arms so to speak. Booth told Brennan to stay with him that night because he was afraid Broadsky was going to hurt her too. They eh… got together that night. Finally."

"This sounds way too familiar." Lanie sighed.

"No way, it took Castle and Beckett that long too? You've got to be kidding me!"

"I wish I was, but no. At first, Castle was a real pain in the ass and Beckett hated him. Then she finally warmed up to him, but he betrayed her trust. They spent the first summer apart. Somehow, he managed to weasel his way back into her life and regain her trust. And it became more than trust, believe me. But Kate, being stubborn as she is, denied it." She sighed. "At one point, a guy was after Beckett. He blew up her apartment. She wouldn't have survived if Castle hadn't called her to warn her. He then ran into the burning building and got her out. I thought: Finally, know she knows how he feels and they can get together. But no. Shortly after this she got a boyfriend. Castle still asked her to go to the Hamptons with him, but she refused. After he went home, I think she made up her mind, because she broke up with detective Schlemming."

"Schlemming?" Cam asked, barely containing her laughter.

"Demming, actually. Schlemming is our nickname for him. But, don't tell Kate, she doesn't know." She paused. "Anyway, she went to tell him she changed her mind and that she'd love to with him. But then his publisher/ex-wife showed up and she clung to his side. Poor Kate, I think her heart broke into a thousand pieces. She dismissed what she was going to say and he left. Another summer apart. After the summer, they found him standing over a dead body. He turned out not to be the killer, and he got back on the team. Quite a lot of things happened that year; the case from Beckett's mom returned, they got trapped in a freezer together, they saved the city from a nuclear bomb, Kate's former mentor wound up dead, they went to LA to solve that murder and I hoped they'd solve that tension too. But the end of the year was the worst. The Johanna Beckett case returned, but like 10 times as bad. Our former captain turned out to be involved and got killed. At his funeral, Kate got shot." Lanie was silent, reliving that horrible moment.

Now it was Cam's turn to squeeze Lanie's hand.

"After she neglected to call any of us, they spent another summer apart. After like, three months, she came back. I think this year was the worst of all. Somewhere nearing the end, Kate told me that Castle had said he loved her right after she was shot. She hadn't told him yet she remembered, though. And she was thinking about making a move, but Castle started to pull away and he hooked up with some blonde bimbo." She scoffed. "Castle then suddenly decided to tag along with some stupid detective. And then in the very end, the Johanna Beckett case returned. Again. And it had gotten worse. Again. Kate and Javi went after the guy who shot Kate, but they hadn't told anyone, except for Ryan. Maddox knocked Javi out and fought with Kate on the rooftop. Then he threw her off the building. Luckily, Ryan had called the captain and they saved Kate while she was hanging from the ledge. A few weeks later she told me that she'd resigned. After her resignation she went over to Castle's place and kissed him senseless. Well, she didn't say it exactly like that, but I knew she meant it. And she meant more, but she wouldn't tell me. They've been together ever since."

"Why do people always have to act so difficult?" Cam asked.

"I have no idea, honey. No idea at all." What Lanie didn't tell, was that she and Esposito had acted difficult as well. _No need to tell her that,_ she thought.

Xxx

Booth excused himself from Beckett to check on Brennan, being the overprotective dad/boyfriend he was. He laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on; let's go for a walk and something to eat."

Brennan shrugged his hand off. "I'm not hungry, Booth."

But he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Instead, he took her by the wrist and tugged her away from the body. "We won't be long, I promise."

She sighed. "Fine."

After buying something to eat, they walked towards a bench and they sat down. Brennan ate a salad, while Booth had a hotdog. It was silent for about 10 minutes. Then, Booth sighed. He knew he had to say this to her, but she wasn't going to like it.

"Bones, you can't go out in the field anymore." He knew what she was going to say.

"That's ridiculous. Why can't I?"

"Because, Bones…" He took her hands in his. "Babe, you're pregnant with my child. _Our _child. And you're due in two weeks. Besides, 3XK is dangerous. He was smart enough to escape 2 homicide squads and I do NOT want him to get you. Do you even realize what it would do to me if I lost you and our child?" By now, he had tears in his eyes. Well, almost.

Brennan sighed. "Fine. But don't call me 'babe', okay?"

Booth nodded, happy that she consented. "Let's go back, _honey._" She glared at him for this, but she knew she couldn't argue with him on this because she indeed hadn't said anything about other pet names.

Xxx

_The next morning_

Booth hung up the phone and sighed. Then he walked to the lab were 'his' team and the team from New York had gathered to exchange possible new leads. They all turned to Booth when he reached the middle of the lab.

"They found another body: Emma Kingston, 22 years old, blonde. She was strangled with a 3-strand, twisted quarter-inch rope made from green and white nylon. It was 3XK."

Xxx

Cam, Booth, Hodgins, Lanie, Castle, Beckett, Ryan and Esposito arrived at the crime scene. Beckett told Ryan and Esposito to canvass the neighborhood and show the pictures of Jerry Tyson around, while Cam told Hodgins to look for the usual; bugs, fibers, etc. Castle roamed around the apartment with no particular goal, but maybe he'd find an odd sock or something. He stopped when Lanie called him.

"Castle, could you get in here?"

He walked back to where the victim was lying, and noticed that all 3 women and 1 man gathered around the body did not look very happy.

"Did I do something wrong?" He immediately wondered what it could have been, since they just arrived.

Lanie shook her head, and then she gave him an envelope with his name written on it. He took it and swallowed before opening it and taking out several pieces of paper. They all looked expectantly at him, waiting for him to say something. He didn't. Kate noticed something was really wrong and stood up.

"Castle, what's on the notes?"

No answer.

"Rick?"

Still no answer.

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Rick, what do they say?" He looked up from the letters and looked directly into her eyes. She immediately recognized the look. Guilt. Then he handed the stash of papers to her with slightly shaking hands. She read the note on top.

_Dear Mr. Castle,_

_I really hope you realize this is all your fault. All those pretty, blonde women. Dead. Your fault. If only you had figured it out earlier…_

_You couldn't catch me last time, and you won't catch me this time. But I do love seeing y'all try._

_I noticed a change in your relationship, too. Congratulations, you're very cute together._

_- Jerry_

_p.s. Before I forget: It's very easy for me to pick other victims. So, how close to death do you want your friends to get?_

Beckett flipped to the other papers, or more accurately, photos. She was shocked by what she saw. Pictures of the two teams at the Royal Diner, pictures from yesterday morning when they left the hotel, and pictures from outside the houses of the people from the Jeffersonian.

**There will be more Caskett in the next chapters! I know this wasn't my best chapter, but I still like to know what you think of it.**

**I'm going away on holiday soon (okay, it's 2 hours away from my village and it's in Holland, but still) and I don't have internet over there. I don't know if I can finish another chapter before that, but I'll try. Otherwise it might be like 2 weeks before I update again.**

**Just so you know!**

**-xxx-**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay! **

**Rating is just to be sure.**

**Chapter 4**

"Rick…" Kate started, after she got over the shock of what she saw.

"I-I need to get some air." Then he turned around and walked out of the apartment.

Kate handed the letter and pictures to Booth. "Can you guys handle it from here? I need to go check on Castle." The others nodded. "Okay, I'll see you guys at the Jeffersonian." And then she walked out of the apartment too.

She found him standing outside of the apartment building. He was talking to someone over the phone. Just when she stopped walking to give him some privacy, he hung up, so she continued to walk towards him. When she reached him, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," she said softly.

He turned around and gave her a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Hi."

He sensed her question. "That was Alexis. I just needed to hear her voice."

Kate nodded in understanding. "Do she and Martha know why we're here?"

"Yeah, I called them just before we left for the airport." He fell silent.

"Hey, you know this is not your fault, right? Tyson is just trying to mess with you, with us. He killed all those women because he's a psychopath. A sick, murdering psychopath and that is not your fault."

Rick sighed. "I know, but sometimes I wish that I'd figured it out sooner."

She cut him off before he could continue blaming himself. "At least you saw through him. We're all detectives, for god sakes, and we didn't figure it out. YOU did. And somehow you saved Ryan and yourself in that motel room. You should be proud of that. Proud that you saw through a psychopath while no other detective in New York could." She put her hands on his shoulders. "Please, Rick, don't beat yourself up about this, because it isn't your fault at all." She stared into his sea blue eyes, hoping to see something, anything that said he'd gotten the message. He didn't let her down.

"God, what on Earth did I do to deserve such an amazing woman like you?" He said, putting his arms around her waist and kissing her softly. He tried to pull back after a few seconds, but she didn't let him go. Instead, she deepened the kiss, silently asking for entrance with her tongue. He gladly obliged. After a minute (or more, neither of them knew exactly) they pulled apart. Kate put her forehead against his.

"I love you, Rick," she whispered.

"Love you too, Kate. So much."

Xxx

"Did you guys get any hits on the photographs?" Booth asked Ryan and Esposito, who just came back.

"Nada. We showed all of the possibilities to the neighbors and some other people around, but no one recognized one," Esposito replied.

"We did see a camera at a shop across the street. But the owner wouldn't show us the video's without a warrant. What I can do, is check the feed from the traffic cam I saw. If you have a computer for me…" Ryan said.

"Yeah, sure. And I'll get that warrant. Esposito, do you want to join me?"

"Fine with me." Esposito was silent for a second. "Where is Beckett, by the way? I figured she'd be with you, updating the board."

"She went to inform the parents and ask them some questions. That reminds me, is Hodgins still at the crime scene?"

"Yeah, I think so," Esposito replied.

Booth nodded. "Well, let's go and get that damn warrant."

Xxx

"Do you want to do the autopsy, or shall I do it?" Lanie asked Cam.

"Well, I'd love to deal with a whole body again, but I think it's better if you do it. You've done 3 3XK victims before, and I think you know better what to look for, what is old, what is new, you know?"

Lanie nodded.

"And I need to call Michelle to briefly inform her and tell her to be careful. And I think I'm gonna tell her to come to the lab after school. I don't want her to be home alone. Not while Tyson is still out there."

Lanie put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I understand, girl. Now go and call your daughter."

After Cam left, she started on the autopsy. She noticed the defensive wounds on the victim's body and how severe they were.

"Well, girl, you put up one hell of a fight." Then she saw something underneath her fingernails.

"What have we got here?" She took it out with tweezers and held it in front of her face. She couldn't identify it however. She bagged it and reminded herself to send it to Hodgins.

Just when she finished her autopsy, Booth came walking in.

"Dr. Parish, could you come to the conference room? The others will be there too. We need to talk about Tyson and his threats and what we're going to do about it."

"Yeah, sure. I just finished anyway. And 'Lanie' works just fine." Then she walked away, patting him on the shoulder.

"Right." Booth said to himself, and then he turned around and followed her.

Xxx

Silence. There was only silence. Everyone was seated around the big table in the conference room, but no one knew how to start. They just stared at the letter in the evidence bag. Eventually, Booth took it.

"Okay, here it says: "_It's very easy for me to pick other victims. So, how close to death do you want your friends to get?" _I get the first part, but what does the second thing mean? I don't get it?"

"It's what he said to me." Castle said. "While Ryan was unconscious, I profiled him. He got angry, said that I was drawn to death, that I liked to be around it because it 'thrilled' me and he asked me how close to death I wanted to get." He swallowed.

Kate saw he was having a hard time reliving it, so she took his hand under the table and squeezed it. Castle looked at her, and gave her a small smile. Then he continued.

"He's messing with me by using that sentence again. I think he's asking how far I'm willing to go, how far we're _all _willing to go." He was silent for a second or two. "I've been in the same room with him long enough to see that his need for revenge is huge, just as his ego. I think he's going to kill another young woman before he's going to… do something else. He's 3XK for a reason, and he wants to keep it that way."

Sweets nodded. "I agree with you. I've looked at the files and the letter and I too think he's too proud to break his pattern of killing three times a week."

"But we still need to discuss what we need to do to prevent him from doing something to one of us," Booth said.

"I agree. But it's going to be hard. We've got no clue whatsoever as to what he's going to do. There are no blonde women amongst us, so he won't take someone as just another 'typical' 3XK victim. I think the only thing we can be sure about, is that he's going to stay in D.C., but call Jenny anyways, Kev. You never know," Kate said, looking at her colleague.

"I will."

"He might not hurt one of us directly. He could hurt or take someone close to us. He's a psycho, after all," Esposito said.

"Espo's right. He could do that." Kate looked at Cam. "Cam, you should keep an eye on Michelle. I know she's a teenager, so you can't keep her from school, but maybe you can ask someone to keep an eye on her while she's at school."

"I already called her to be careful and to come straight over here after school."

Kate then looked at Angela, who, in turn, looked at Cam.

"Ange, you don't need to ask. Of course you can take Michael and keep him in your room. Normally it would be distracting, but under these circumstances it's more than okay."

"And furthermore, I don't think we can do more than be careful wherever we go and do our best to find him before he gets the chance to do something else," Kate finished.

"Oh, before I forget, Hodgins," Lanie said, "I found some kind of cloth underneath Emma's fingernail. Can you find out what it is?"

"Hey, you're talking to the king of the lab, of course I can!" Lanie gave him a weird look at 'king of the lab' but decided not to respond to that.

Xxx

Kate and Rick were the last two left in the conference room. Kate noticed Rick was silent. Too silent for her liking. She put a hand on his shoulder to make him look at her.

"Hey, what's wrong? And don't say 'it's my fault', we've already discussed that."

"It's just… Last time he was only after killing young blonde women as revenge on his mother. Now he's going to do something as revenge on me. What if he hurts you? I wouldn't survive that, Kate. Not again."

"And once again, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she answered, a little harsher than she intended to. She saw his look.

"Look, I get that you're worried. But I'm worried to. He might hurt you as well as he might hurt someone close to you. And I wouldn't survive that either. I promise to be extra careful. You have my word on that." She caressed his cheek. He leaned into her touch, and just as he was about to lean in to kiss her, Ryan came in.

"I'm sorry, I-" He stopped. "Am I interrupting something?"

Kate stood up. "No. You were saying?"

Ryan looked from Castle to Beckett and then he continued. "I didn't find anything on the traffic cam. I think he knew were the camera was because he didn't appear in the picture, not even from his backside. Sorry."

"It's okay, that's not your fault. Was there anything on the footage from the shop across?"

"I haven't checked that yet. I'll go do that right away."

"Thanks, Kev."

After Ryan left, she turned back to Rick. "Come on, let's go back to rest. We've got a killer to catch."

Xxx

Someone knocked on Booth's office door. "Come in," he said without looking up to see who it was.

"Hey," Brennan said.

Booth immediately looked up. "Hey. What brings you here?"

"I think I'm going home. There's nothing I can do here anymore, since the remains are more than just bones."

Booth stood up and walked over to her. "No. No way. That's not going to happen."

"Why not?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"Because it's too dangerous!" Booth replied, his voice just a notch higher than usual.

"I'm pregnant, not disabled. I can get home safely, you know?"

"No. I mean, yes, you _could _get home safely, but I don't want to take any risks. Not while Tyson's still out there, not now we're so close to starting a family."

Brennan finally seemed to understand. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just not used to having someone around who's so protective of me. Of us, now, actually," she said with a smile while placing her hand on her belly. Then her eyes got a little wider.

"What is it? Are you going into labor? Should I drive the car in front?"

Brennan laughed. "Relax, Booth. I'm not going into labor. But she just kicked."

Booth relaxed again and put his hand next to hers.

"Wow, she's got some power, this one."

"Just like you, Booth."

"No, Bones, just like _us._"

Xxx

Ryan walked into the room where they'd set up the murder board. Castle, Beckett, Esposito Booth, Brennan and Cam, who were in there, turned around. Ryan was carrying a laptop and he put it on the table.

"So, I spotted Tyson, at least who I assume is Tyson, while going over the footage from the shop. But, unfortunately, he wasn't in a car so we could check the license plate and it's very unclear. I spotted him for the first time 16 days ago, and after that he came every other day. But, again unfortunately, I couldn't find him on the day of the murder, so we still don't know how he got into the vic's apartment."

"I do," Hodgins said, while walking in. "Follow me."

They followed him onto the platform in the middle of the lab, where Lanie already was. When they were all on it, he turned around to them and started to speak.

"Lanie found a piece of cloth underneath a fingernail from our latest victim, and I found out that it was kind of unique. So, I looked up what companies used this kind of material and I found one that would be perfect for Tyson to use: Citgo. They fix gas leaks." He looked at the others proudly.

"Hodgins, you are a genius," Kate said.

"I know, right?"

Xxx

Booth and Beckett went to Citgo (after Beckett apologized to Castle, but hey, Booth was a real cop).

They were now seated in a small office, waiting for the boss to arrive. They turned around when he entered. He raised his hands. "Don't get up on my account. I'm Mark Edison. My secretary said it was urgent, is that right?" He sat down.

"Yes, that's right. I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth, and this is detective Kate Beckett. We're here for a murder investigation."

"Murder?"

"Yes, we believe that the murderer worked here. We found a piece of one of your uniforms underneath the fingernail from one of the victims." Kate said. "Could you give us a list of people that started working here less than 3 years ago and who don't work here anymore?"

"Certainly." Edison clicked and tapped on his computer. "It's not a list, actually," he said. "There's only one guy. He started working here 2 years ago, and he quit about a month ago." He clicked and tapped again. "His name is Ty Marshall. Here it says he moved from hotel to hotel, so no address."

"Do you have a picture?" Beckett asked.

"Of course." He turned the screen to them. Booth checked his phone and went through the pictures of how Tyson could look. After a few seconds, he held his phone next to the picture on Edison's screen. The pictures were identical.

"We've got him," Booth said.

**Hope you liked it!**

**Please let me know what you think.**

**-xxx-**


	5. Chapter 5

**I seriously didn't have a clue how to continue. But, last night at 2am, I got struck with inspiration. I also got some ideas for other chapters, so I'll try to update a bit sooner… I can't promise anything though.**

**Citgo does exist, but I don't think they actually fix gas leaks. I just needed a name**

**Chapter 5 **

"Mr. Edison, do you know if Jer- Ty had any friends here, or anyone who might know where he could be?" Kate asked.

Edison thought for a few seconds. "Well, he mostly kept to himself, but maybe you can talk to Ray Thompson. He gets along with everyone, and I believe I've seen the two of them talking from time to time."

"And where can we find Ray?" Booth asked.

"Down the stairs, turn right, second door on your left. I hope you get what you need."

Booth nodded and stood up. Kate stood up as well.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Edison. We appreciate it that you could talk to us on such short notice."

"Not a problem."

With that, Booth and Kate went out the door to find Thompson. They found him exactly where Edison had said he would be.

"Ray Thompson? Special Agent Seeley Booth, FBI. This is detective Kate Beckett. Can we talk to you about Ty Marshall?"

Thompson turned around to them. "Yeah, sure. What do you want to know?"

"We're looking for him in connection with a homicide investigation. From your boss we heard you two talked from time to time and we were wondering if he maybe told you where he was staying."

Thompson looked down, almost embarrassed.

Kate joined the conversation. "Ray? You can tell us everything, you know that, right?"

He looked up again. "He never talked about that. But… I'm kind of a nosy person and… the day he left I saw his mail. I didn't mean to look through his stuff, but when I walked by I looked at it and I saw the address. A real address. It wasn't from a hotel."

"Do you remember it?" Booth asked, while taking out his notepad and a pen.

"Yeah. Err… 1187 24th Street Northwest."

"Thanks a lot, man. This is really useful."

"Glad I could help."

Xxx

Hodgins walked towards his wife's office to… He didn't really know why. He just wanted to see her. But when he entered, there was someone else present. His 9 month old son Michael was sleeping on Angela's lap. She was absentmindedly stroking his little tummy while seeming to be deep in thought. She didn't notice Hodgins until he squatted down in front of her.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked her.

She turned to him and sighed. "Everything."

Hodgins stood up and sat next to her on the couch. He put his arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry. They'll catch him. And if they don't, I'll do everything I can to protect you guys from him. I promise." He kissed her on the head and stroked his son's nose. Together, they watched him sleep.

"He's so cute, isn't he?" Angela said.

Before Hodgins could answer, he heard Booth's voice; "We've got his address!" They both knew what that meant and they stood up. Angela put Michael in the crib she'd placed in her office for the time being. She stroked his head one more time before she exited her office together with Hodgins and they walked towards the others.

Xxx

Once they were all on the platform in the middle of the lab, Booth spoke up.

"So, Beckett and I went to Citgo and we talked to some people. We got Tyson's current picture and his current address. 1187 24th Street Northwest. To be sure, we looked into it. It checked out. He lives there under the name Ty Marshall. I called Caroline to get a warrant and called in a SWAT team. Ryan, Esposito, you'll be joining us. You can already get ready, 'cause-"

Just then, Caroline walked onto the platform, waving with the warrant.

"Here you go, Cher. Just don't get yourself killed, OK?" Booth took the warrant from her and nodded.

"Thanks, Caroline."

And she was gone again.

"That's what I wanted to say: she'll have that warrant in no time. Let's gear up and catch the bastard."

Xxx

Booth, Beckett, Ryan and Esposito all got into one car and drove to Tyson's apartment. When they arrived, the SWAT was already there. Their leader approached them.

"Do you wanna go first?"

Booth nodded.

"Okay. I already have some men by every exit. Your guy won't escape unless he has magic powers."

A few minutes later, Beckett kicked down the door.

"Jerry Tyson? Hands up where we can see them!"

No reaction.

They went in and cleared every room. He wasn't there.

"Guys, here's another door," Ryan said.

Booth, Beckett and Esposito came closer. Beckett nodded her head and Ryan kicked down the door. They entered the small room. Tyson wasn't there. But a body was. She was pretty, blonde, young and her arms were folded over her chest. On the floor next to her was a note. Beckett put on gloves and took the note.

_Oh, come on, you didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?  
For me it was easy, though. Placing an envelope in the break room with this address on it, and just waiting till nosy Ray saw it. _

_I don't have much more to say other than to be careful. You never know what could happen while you're out on the dangerous streets of D.C._

_Love, you-know-who_

"Dammit!" Kate said.

"What?" Ryan and Esposito asked in unison. She silently handed over the note. Booth looked over their shoulders to read the note as well.

"I should have known this wasn't real. That it was a trap. Dammit!" She said again.

Ryan gave the note to Esposito and walked over to Kate. He put his hand on her shoulder, a bit unsure.

"You couldn't have known this. Neither of us could have. And we _will _catch him, really. And we'll do so before he hurts one of us, okay?"

Kate nodded.

When they got outside, they saw some police officers standing there.

"Guys, can you call the CSU? I'll take care-" Booth was cut off by his ringing phone. Caller ID told him it was Angela.

"Hey, Angela. What's going on?"

"_Booth, get your ass down to St. Elizabeth's Hospital if you wanna see your daughter's birth!"_

"What? Bones is going into labor?"

The heads from the 3 detectives shot up when they heard the word 'labor'.

"She's not due for another… What the hell am I saying? I'm on my way!"

He hung up and turned to the police officers. "Get a coroner here too, but let them only do the prelim, and then have them send the body to the Jeffersonian. Okay?"

They nodded.

"C'mon Booth, you don't want to miss your child's birth, do you?" Esposito called to him from the car before stepping inside. Booth quickly ran towards the car and got into the driver seat. He wasted no time in starting the car and driving to the hospital. Kate, sitting next to him in the passenger seat, noticed he was tense, but she also saw an enormous amount of joy in his eyes.

"_I wonder how Rick would react if he heard I was going into labor," _She thought.

"_Wait, what? Where did that come from? We're not even married, let alone expecting a kid."_

Kate was interrupted from her thoughts when Booth braked and got out of the car. She looked up at the building and saw they had arrived at the hospital. She quickly got out, along with Ryan and Esposito. They caught up with Booth, who was already inside.

"My girlfriend is going into labor. Her name's Temperance Brennan. Where can I find her?"

The nurse looked up at him. "Let me see. Temperance Brennan… She's in room 056. Just go down the hall, take the first hallway left, she's in the third room on the right."

"Thank you." He went into the direction the nurse had said, on a brisk pace. Kate, Ryan and Esposito followed him, but they didn't go into the room. Instead, they sat down in the waiting room where the others were already seated.

Esposito sat down next to Lanie, who was seated next to Cam. Next to Cam was Sweets and Ryan sat down beside him. Kate sat down next to Rick, who was across from Esposito. Next to Kate was Angela, who was holding Michael. Hodgins was seated beside her.

Rick wrapped one arm around Kate's waist, unknowingly mimicking Esposito and Lanie's position.

"How did it go with… you know?" Rick whispered to Kate.

Kate froze. She hadn't thought about that anymore. She didn't want to ruin the mood, so she stood up and gestured for him to follow her.

They stopped walking when they stood in front of a laundry room. Kate opened the door and pulled him with her. She turned on the lights and leaned against the wall, her eyes closed. Rick just stood there in front of her, not sure what to do.

After a few seconds, Kate opened her eyes and looked him in the eyes before looking to her feet.

"We went in and searched every room. He wasn't there. Then, Ryan found another door. I was sure he'd be behind it, but… He wasn't. Instead, there was a body. That of a blonde woman. There was a note next to her body." Kate swallowed. "He asked if we really thought it would be that easy. He had planted the envelope with the address on it for someone to see and tell us. And then he wrote that we should be careful. That we wouldn't know what could happen. He signed it with 'love, you-know-who'. The sick bastard." Kate was still looking at her feet, but now she raised her head and met his eyes. Rick saw hers were full of tears.

"Oh, Kate," he murmured and he pulled her into a tight hug. He kissed the top of her head and she started to cry. Everything she'd bottled up about this case came out.

Rick held her, kissed the top of her head and whispered soothing words until she calmed down. When she did, he pulled back and wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

"Thanks, Rick. Now let's head back to the rest. I think they're getting strange ideas about what we're doing." She smirked.

"You might wanna freshen up a bit first," he said. "You're smudged make up will only support their strange ideas."

Kate smacked him on the chest. Then she walked out of the laundry room, looking for a bathroom.

Xxx

_Meanwhile, in room 056_

"You're doing great, honey, everything is great" Booth said, while holding Brennan's hand.

"Would you just stop saying that? Everything is not great! And it's YOUR fault I'm laying here, undergoing this excruciating pain!" Brennan yelled. "I hate you for doing this to me," she murmured after that.

Booth looked hurt.

The doctor, who was standing next to Booth's chair, whispered in his ear. "She doesn't mean that. Trust me, I've heard much worse in here, but when you're holding your little bundle of joy later on, everything will be forgotten. You have my word on that."

Just then, Brennan crushed Booth's hand again. The doctor got back into his previous place and looked.

"Ms. Brennan, you're ready to push."

Xxx

A while later, Booth came out, a huge grin plastered on his face. "Come in."

They all rose from their seats and followed Booth into Brennan's room. It was a tight fit, but eventually they were all standing around the bed. On that bed was Brennan, holding a little white/pink bundle. She was looking at her daughter, but then she looked up and they all saw something they'd never seen before on her face. She was glowing and her eyes shone with joy. She no longer looked like the down-to-earth .

Booth took the little girl from her and looked at Angela. "So, godmother, you wanna hold her?"

Angela nodded and she handed Michael to Hodgins. Booth walked towards her and put the baby in her arms.

"She's so beautiful," Angela said. She went on cooing to the little girl in her arms.

"What's her name?" Cam asked while looking over Angela's shoulder to look at the baby. No one had thought about asking that and they all looked towards Booth and Brennan. Well, except for Angela. She was still whispering soft words to the baby in her arms.

"Her name is Jade," Brennan said. "Jade Angela Booth." At this, Angela did look up.

"You- You named her after me?" She asked with tears in her eyes. "I- I'm honored, really."

After this, Jade got passed around from person to person. Kate and Rick were the last ones to hold her, since they were across from Angela on the other end of the semi-circle. Rick put one arm around Kate's waist as she held Jade in her arms.

While standing there, a baby in her arms and the arm of the man she loved around her, Kate felt something. She imagined standing in _their_ baby girl's bedroom, holding _their _bundle of joy. She'd denied it before, but in that exact moment she knew that this was what she wanted. Starting a family with the man she loved.

Little did she know, that said man was thinking the exact same thing.

Xxx

Really, he'd just been lucky. Usually he planned every single detail, but this opportunity was too great to ignore. And the guy had really pissed him off last time. Seeing him again made the anger come back. He was so ready to hurt him, in every way possible. And he figured that now was just as good a time to start as any other, maybe even better. None of them would pay extra attention now. Their minds would be with the baby, not him. He chuckled to himself as he watched his next victim from a park bench across the street.

Yes, Jerry Tyson was ready to start his last mission: Revenge on Richard Castle.

**I'm really trying to put in more Caskett, but somehow I can't seem to fit it in. I still hope you like the Caskett moments that **_**are **_**in here.**

**Please let me know what you think, I would appreciate it.**

**-xxx-**


	6. Chapter 6

**I hope you don't mind I named the baby Jade… I just liked it better this way.**

**I also hope you like this chapter, it's a bit dramatic.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6**

It was 8 p.m., and everyone was still in Brennan's room. They'd eaten something in the canteen but had returned after that. Suddenly, Booth jumped up.

"Booth? What's wrong?" Brennan asked.

"We have to call Max. I'm sure he'd like to know he has a granddaughter." Booth was already taking out his phone.

"Way ahead of you, Booth. I already called him when we were on our way to the hospital," Angela said.

"He was busy, but he's going to visit sometime this week," Brennan added.

"Oh." Booth put his phone back in his pocket and sat down on the chair next to Brennan's bed.

"My dad." Kate said suddenly. "I haven't called him about what's going on. I don't think he even knows I'm here. I- sorry, I have to call him. I'll be back soon." She walked out of the room, Castle in tow.

The second the others couldn't see them anymore, Castle wrapped his arms around Kate's waist from behind and pulled her back to him. Kate turned around in his grip and wound her arms around his neck. She gave him a sweet kiss but pulled back when he tried to deepen it.

"I'll only be gone for a few minutes, I'm sure you can handle that." Castle raised his eyebrows at this.

She rolled her eyes and leaned closer to his ear. "But whatever we can do here, we can do better tonight. Back at the hotel. Just the two of us, no chance of someone walking in on us." She pulled back, turned around and walked towards the doors, swaying her hips a little more than usual.

Castle shook his head. _"That woman… She's going to be the death of me." _He walked back towards the room. _"But what a lovely way to go."_

Xxx

"Hey, dad," Kate said to Jim.

"_Katie! Been a while since you called. How about we meet tomorrow for lunch?"_

"Well, that's not exactly possible."

"_What do you mean? Are you on a honeymoon after you and Rick secretly got married?"_

"Dad!" Kate exclaimed. She could hear her father chuckle.

"_Just kidding. What is the real reason?"_

"I- we're in D.C. Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, Castle and I. It's… Do you remember 3XK?"

"_I sure do. What does he have… He's the reason you're there, isn't he?"_

Just then, Kate heard a sound. Or so she thought. She turned around, but didn't see anyone.

"_Kate?"_

"Oh, sorry dad. Yeah, he is. A woman was found murdered, but there'd been a fire, so there were only bones left. A forensic anthropologist, an FBI agent and their team worked on it, and when they figured out it was 3XK, the called us. He's strangled two more women since we got here." She grew silent.

"_Is there something you're not telling me?"_

How did he know that?

"He, uh… He left a note. Two of them, actually. They were addressed to Rick. He threatened to hurt him or someone close to him. And… Dad, I can't lose him. I really can't. The past year has been wonderful, but it's not enough. I want more than a year with him. Hell, I want forever with him. If he dies…" Tears escaped Kate's eyes at this thought.

"_Don't you dare going there. You're all great cops, and I'm sure you'll catch this guy before he comes near him. Just don't give up, Katie. You've never done that and you're not going to do it now. Now go back and catch the bastard."_

"Thanks, I will."

"_One more question, though. A forensic anthropologist, an FBI agent and their team? Is the anthropologist by any chance Temperance Brennan?"_

"Yeah, she is. She just got a baby; we're at the hospital now. But… how did you know? Do you know her?"

"_No, but I do know her books. Listen, I have to go. Don't come back without catching the bastard, okay?"_

"I won't."

"_Good. Love you."_

"Love you too, dad. Bye."

Kate hung up. Again, she heard a sound. But before she could turn around to see where the sound came from, she received a blow to the head. She fell to the ground and then everything went black.

Xxx

After 20 minutes, Castle got worried. He motioned for Lanie to step outside with him.

"Look, Kate had a sort of breakdown earlier," he started. Lanie stared at him in shock and started to speak, but he held up his hand and continued. "It was nothing major, but it could be she's having one again. I figured she might need a close friend. Maybe she just went to use the bathroom, but I don't want to take any chances."

"She went outside, right?" Lanie asked and Castle nodded.

"Maybe we should start there. Kate's not a person to run inside where everyone can see her while she's crying."

Together they walked outside. It was still pretty light outside, which was convenient. Castle expected to either see Kate still on the phone or otherwise sitting on a bench. But what he really saw was _not _what he'd expected: her cell lying on the ground with blood next to it. It wasn't much blood, but his heart sank anyway. He staggered backwards, away from the blood, until he bumped into Lanie.

Lanie jumped at the sudden touch and turned around. She was facing Castle's back now.

"Watch it, writer boy!" When Castle didn't reply or turn around, she walked in front of him. She was surprised at what she saw. His entire expression was hollow, and a bit sad.

"Castle, what's wrong?" He didn't look at her. In fact, he seemed to be staring at a point behind her. She turned around and followed his gaze. Her hand flew to her mouth when she saw what he was staring at.

"Oh my god, no. No. Kate…" She turned back to Castle. "I'm going to warn the others. Don't go anywhere and keep your eyes open." Then she rushed inside.

Just after Lanie went inside, Castle seemed to be able to move again. He walked towards her phone and sat on his knees. Tears formed in his eyes and soon they rolled over his cheeks.

"_No, this can't be happening. I can't lose her. Not after everything we've been through. Not now we're finally together. God, if he hurts her…"_

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Ryan, Esposito, Cam, Lanie and Booth came towards him. He didn't bother to wipe his tears away. He didn't care if it was unmanly.

Cam and Lanie went to get some stuff out of the car, Ryan and Esposito went to look for witnesses and Booth was on the phone. After he was done, he walked towards Castle.

"Castle, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna need to ask you some questions, okay?"

Castle nodded.

"What was Beckett going to do outside?"

"She was going to call her dad. She'd forgotten to tell him she was here."

"Okay. Did you see anything?"

"No, I didn't go outside with her. I wish I had. God, if I'd just gone with her…"

Booth put his pen and pad away and put his hand on Castle's shoulder. "This is not your fault. If you'd been outside, he would have taken you too, or worse. We're going to find her, I promise."

Just then, Cam walked towards them, holding an evidence bag with Kate's phone in it. "Guys, she called her dad 15 minutes ago. They couldn't have gotten far." Booth took his phone and walked away. Castle couldn't hear what he said, but he could guess.

"I'll have someone call her dad to inform him of the situation," Cam said.

"I'll do it. I don't want him to hear this from a stranger. The last time a strange cop called him, he was told his wife had been murdered. I don't want him to think Kate is already dead. Because she isn't."

Cam nodded in understanding, patted him on the shoulder and walked away to see if she could collect more evidence.

Castle took out his phone. He took a deep breath, and then dialed Jim Beckett's number.

"_Jim Beckett."_

Okay, this was going to be harder than he thought.

"Hi, Jim. It's Castle. Rick."

"_Oh, hey, Rick. How are you doing?"_

"I- this isn't really a social call. It's about Kate."

"_What do you mean? Is she okay?"_

"Kate's gone. Abducted." Castle's voice broke as he said the last word.

"_What? No, no, no… I just talked to her. She can't be gone. She can't be…"_

"I'm so sorry, Jim, I really am. I wish I'd been standing next to her. I should've been." Castle ran a hand over his face. "I'm sorry."

"_It's not your fault, Rick. I know you would do anything to save her and that's enough for me. Just promise me you'll find her."_

"I will, Jim. I definitely will. I'll call you or let her call you when we've found her. Just hang in there."

"_I will. You do the same." _And he hung up.

Castle walked over to a bench nearby and sat down. He put his hands in his pockets. That's when he felt it. A small velvet box. He'd been carrying it around for a while now, but he hadn't really thought about it when he was going to ask her. He'd just been waiting for the perfect opportunity. He realized now that that opportunity might never come. He knew he shouldn't think like that, but he couldn't help it.

He saw Ryan and Esposito approaching Booth and he jumped up, with just the tiniest bit of hope. But before he could join the three of them, he saw Ryan and Esposito shaking their heads after Booth asked them a question. Castle stopped dead in his tracks, but right there and then he decided he wasn't going to give up. He was going to fight and he wouldn't stop until he could hold Kate in his arms again.

Xxx

The first thing Kate noticed when she woke up was the pain in her head. It felt like she had been hit by a truck. She wanted to feel if there was a bump, but she was tied to a chair. Great. She also noticed it smelt like cherry trees. Yoshino, if she was correct. She blinked a few times before entirely opening her eyes. She appeared to be in some sort of a warehouse. Then she saw him. Jerry Tyson, grinning at her.

"Ah, detective, finally awake, I see. Took you long enough." He came walking towards her with a knife in his hands. Then he just stood in front of her, toying with the knife.

"Oh, come on Jerry. You won't stab me to death. You prefer strangling."

"I'm sensing some kind of déjà vu here. But you're right. I'm not going to kill you. Yet. What's the fun in that? No, I'm going to keep you around for a while." He squatted in front of her and stroked her face. "You know, first I only intended to take you so I could hurt your precious writer, but maybe…" Before she knew what was happening, he gave her a kiss. It was very short, but still disgusting. She spit in his face.

"You'll never have me. Never."

Tyson wiped his face. "Give it time, Kate, give it time." Then he turned around and walked out the door, leaving her alone.

Xxx

Seriously, there was not much they could do. Ryan had already checked if Tyson owned any other buildings, but, as expected, that was not the case. Booth and Esposito had done some more canvassing, but no one had seen anything. Hodgins hadn't found anything either. Cam went home to Michelle and told everyone else they should get some sleep as well.

Sleep. Yeah, right. As if he could sleep right now. Castle was lying on the bed in the hotel room, not wanting to sleep at all. Wait. Home. Daughter. Alexis. He should really call her, hear her voice. He took his phone off the nightstand and called Alexis.

"_Dad? Do you have any idea what time it is?" _Alexis said, sleepy but with a hint of irritation.

Castle looked at the clock on the nightstand. Oops, 1 a.m.

"_Dad? Is everything all right?" _Her voice sounded worried now.

"Actually, pumpkin, no. Everything is not all right. Kate was abducted earlier this evening." Castle's voice broke again, just like earlier when he had called Jim.

"_What? No, no, not Kate. That's not possible. I- she" _Alexis started to cry and Castle's heart broke into a million pieces at the sound of his daughter crying.

"_Dad, you have to get her back. You _have _to. I love her; she's the only real mother figure I ever had. I can't lose her, dad. If she dies…" _Alexis began to sob again.

"We'll get her back alive. You have my word on that Alexis. I'll get her back home safely, and then you can tell her what you told me. She'll be glad to hear that."

"_You really think that? I mean, I- I love her like a mother, but d- does she love me like a daughter?"_

"I don't think that, pumpkin, I _know_. She adores you, but she's still not sure if you really see her as a mother figure. Really, tell her when she gets back."

"_She's still not sure even though after what I said after you asked her to move in?"_

"No. I mean, she knows you like her, but… Let her explain when she's back."

"_When?"_

Yes, when. I'm going to bring her home. Don't worry about that. Now, go back to sleep, okay? It's late. I'll call you when we have her."

"_Okay. Night, love you, dad."_

"Love you too, pumpkin. Night." After he hung up, he walked towards the window, staring at the stars.

_* Flashback * _

_That day, they had moved Kate's stuff into the loft. Now, she was sitting on the couch, reading a book. She was about to turn the page, when two hands covered her eyes. She sighed. _

"_Castle!"_

"_Come with me, please?" He pleaded._

"_To where, exactly?"_

"_It's a surprise. And yes, I know you don't like surprises, but you'll like this one, I promise."_

"_Fine. But maybe you can remove your hands for a minute, so I can put away the book."_

_He did as she told. She put her book away and walked back to Castle. He immediately put his hands back over her eyes. He led her into the elevator, and they went… up? Shortly after they entered, they had reached the rooftop. Together, they stepped outside and Castle removed his hands from Kate's eyes. In front of them was a picnic cloth surrounded by dozens of candles. On it was a bottle of wine and 2 glasses. The sky was bright so they were able to see the stars. _

_Kate turned around to Castle. "Rick, did you do this?"_

_Castle nodded. "To celebrate you moved in." _

_Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a sweet kiss. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips. She pulled back and they went to sit at the blanket. Castle poured the wine and handed Kate one of the glasses. She sat down between his legs and looked up at the sky while sipping from her wine. _

"_It's so beautiful, isn't it?" Kate said after a while._

"_Not as beautiful as you," Castle replied, not missing a beat._

"_Sap."_

"_Ah, but you love me anyway." He put his now empty glass aside. _

_Kate just finished her glass as well and turned around, also putting her glass aside. The flames from the candles reflected in her eyes, making them shine even brighter. Then she straddled him and put her arms around his neck._

"_How 'bout I show you just how much I love you?" She planted her lips on his as she leaned forward to push him down and made love to him under the bright sky._

_* End of flashback *_

Castle smiled as he thought about the wonderful night they'd had. As he looked up into the sky once more, he hoped that wherever Kate was, she was able to see those exact same stars.

**I suck at writing abductions, so don't worry, there won't be too much chapters with Kate missing.**

**I hope the last part made up a bit for the lack of Caskett in this chapter. **

**And Castle will get his perfect opportunity somewhere in this story, I promise.**

**Please let me know what you think!**

**-xxx-**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the follows/favs and stuff :) **

**I hope you like it, even though it's a tad dramatic.**

**Chapter 7**

Castle had gone into the Jeffersonian earlier in the morning, not wanting to miss any progress in the case. He was now going through the photos of Kate on his phone. The ones from Kate and Alexis he liked the most. Their relationship had visibly grown, for which he was very glad. When they teamed up against him, he played hurt, but from inside he was happy to see they were bonding. He just hoped they would talk more, because they loved each other as mother and daughter, but they were both afraid the feeling wasn't reciprocated.

He looked up as a young woman walked past him, seeming too determined to notice him. She headed to Cam's office. He figured it was Michelle, Cam's daughter. She slammed the door shut after she entered and Castle wondered what the cause was.

Xxx

"Michelle! Don't slam the door!" Cam said with a raised voice.

"Oh, no, you're not going to avoid the topic right now. Nu-uh." Michelle crossed her arms. "I was going to hang out with some friends and you just have someone send me here straight after school? I'm not a child anymore. Why the hell did you do that?" She yelled the last sentence.

"Detective Beckett was abducted yesterday. That proves Tyson is not going straight at Castle, but through other people. I don't want you 'hanging out' on the streets while that creep is still out there. I don't want you to get hurt, or worse. You might not understand that now, but you will once you have children of your own. You'll want to protect them from getting hurt, just like I want to protect you. You mean too much to me."

Michelle let her arms relax and sat on the couch, looking down at her feet.

"Is detective Beckett a friend of yours?" she asked quietly.

Cam walked over to the couch as well and sat down next to her. "I'd just met her. She and her team came here to help us with the 3XK case. But I do really like her."

"I'm sorry. For your friend, but also for snapping at you. I might have overreacted a little bit." Michelle stood up after that. "I'm going to find the rest of your team, talk to them. I think they can use the distraction."

"That's sweet of you. I'll see you later."

Michelle exited the office and walked towards the lab. She walked past a room on her way and saw a man sitting inside, looking upset. She looked closer and saw it wasn't just a man. It was Richard Castle. Her eyes went big. Okay, she wasn't some fan girl, but she did love his books. Especially Nikki Heat was cool. And then it dawned on her. Nikki Heat. Kate Beckett. Richard Castle's muse and now girlfriend. No wonder he was looking so down. She was sure he could use some distraction, or maybe just someone to listen to him.

"Let me guess, she was being overprotective?"

Michelle jumped a bit at the sound of his voice and looked at him. Castle motioned for her to come in. She sat down on a chair across from him.

"How did you know?"

"Well, I have a teenage daughter, and when she's angry she has the same expression on her face you had when you stormed in. I was wondering why you'd come here after school, but I figured with everything going on, Cam would want to protect you. I'd do the same thing with Alexis."

"I was pretty pissed at first, but then she told me about detective Beckett." Michelle saw him flinch a bit at the reminder. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bring it up."

He shrugged. "That's okay."

She was determined to fix this. "You know, I'm kind of a romantic, so would you like to tell me how you two met, how you became lovers? If that's not too much for you, of course."

Castle brightened up at this. He loved to tell other people about Kate.

"I first met her about 5 years ago. I had a book signing, and I was just telling Alexis how I wanted someone to come up to me and say something new. Not a second after that, someone says my name. I figured it was just some other fan, so I turned around with a pen and I asked: 'Where would you like it?' I stopped in my movement when I saw her, taking her in. It didn't last long however, she pretty much shoved her badge in my face. And I just… stared at her."

Michelle laughed. "You stared at her? That's creepy."

"Yeah, that's what she tells me all the time. You know, at first I was just intrigued by her. And I don't know when, but I fell in love with her. Her strong, tough character, but also the soft side she showed towards the families. And her eyes have something… I don't know how to describe it. After a while I thought she felt something too, but things got messed up. She got a boyfriend, broke up without me knowing, I started dating, she started dating because of that… But I still loved her more than anything. The year after that was rough, but we got through it and we gave into our feelings. And the past year's been wonderful. I know, I have known for a while, she's the one. She's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"That's a cute story. Complicated, but cute nonetheless," Michelle said. "But I'm gonna head to the rest of the team, I kinda have to catch up with them."

"I'm going with you. And thanks for the distraction, I could use it."

"You're welcome."

Xxx

When Booth arrived at Brennan's room, she was already dressed and ready to go, holding Jade in a pink blanket. He walked over to them, first kissing his daughter's forehead, then turning to give Brennan a kiss on the lips.

"Ready to go, I see?" he asked after pulling back from her.

"Definitely, I don't like being stuck somewhere." She handed Jade to Booth and together they walked outside.

"Shouldn't we sign my release papers?" Brennan asked confused.

"I already did." They reached the car. Booth opened it and put Jade in the back, making sure she was safely strapped in her seat. He caressed her check before closing the door. Brennan was standing right next to him and put her hands around his neck.

"I never imagined having a child. I never even imagined being with someone, and I didn't mind. But now I'm glad that we're together and that we have a gorgeous baby. I love you." And then she kissed him.

Booth immediately responded, but when he pulled back he looked into her eyes, wondering where this had suddenly come from. She got the message and explained.

"We've dealt with serial killers before, but back then I had nothing to lose. I do now."

"I won't let anything happen to you or Jade. I won't. Now stop worrying and get in the car, okay? We've got a murderer to catch."

Xxx

Everyone who was at the lab was just sitting around a bit. There was nothing they could do. They already knew who had Kate but there weren't any witnesses, no evidence, nothing. Zero. Nada. Ryan and Esposito had run out earlier. Castle figured it was to get something to eat. Just then, they returned. No food. They all looked up at the two detectives and Esposito started to talk.

"We've all been looking at how Tyson got away and where he was headed without anyone seeing him. But we forgot about something else:"

"What happened before that," Ryan added. "He didn't just magically appear in front of the hospital. He probably followed one of us, but after that he couldn't anymore. He somehow figured out where we were in the hospital."

"So, Ryan and I headed back to the hospital and went into the room we were in. There was a big window, so we watched straight ahead. And we spotted a bench which would have had a perfect view of that hospital room."

"But he wouldn't have left any prints on that bench. He's too smart for that," Cam said.

"I wasn't done yet," Esposito replied. "There was a house behind that bench."

"A house with a nosy inhabitant," Ryan said. "So we went over to her and asked her if she'd seen anything."

"Let me guess, she wasn't home that evening," Booth said.

"You really need to stop interrupting us," Ryan said. "She did see something that evening. Tyson. She noticed he had some cheap, throw-away binoculars with him, and she figured it wasn't to spot birds. But then he got up and threw them away, starting to walk around. She let it go." Ryan looked at the expectant faces. "Of course, he wouldn't leave any prints and if he did, it wouldn't help us. But we thought-"

"That I could check it for any fibers or other stuff that can determine the place it's been," Hodgins said, getting the idea. Esposito pulled an evidence bag with the binoculars in it out of his coat and gave it to Hodgins.

"Knock yourself out."

Hodgins immediately began to work on it. The others just sat around, making small talk, anxious to see if they'd finally found a good lead. A while later Hodgins came back to them. The look on his face said enough.

"I'm sorry guys. I checked every single spot on the damn thing, and I got nothing. I'm really sorry."

Xxx

God, she hated this. She hated him. Tyson had come in a few times, gave her a tiny bit of water and a dry cracker every time. And every time, he would look at her in a way that sent shivers down her spine. Not the fun kind of shiver. Not the one that she got whenever she was with Rick. She sighed. Rick. Her ruggedly handsome writer she loved so much. What if she never got to see him again?

"_No, don't think like that. Think positive. Think positive. Just keep thinking positive."_

It made her think of their first real date. She smiled as she thought about it. Her boyfriend might be a goofball, but he was also incredibly sweet.

_* Flashback * _

_She'd bought a new dress that afternoon with Lanie. She pulled it out of her closet and put it on. She walked towards her mirror and smiled. She knew Rick was going to love it. It was a white one that didn't even reach her knees. It had sleeves until her elbow and it was white with shimmering silver. She had a matching purse and a pair of crazy high heels. She let her hair down and didn't put on any jewelry, but she did apply a bit more make up. Just as she finished she heard a knock on the door. She took her purse from her bed, threw in some necessary stuff and walked towards the door. For some unknown reason, she was nervous, so she took a deep breath and opened the door._

_Castle's jaw dropped as he saw Kate. He'd had his hands clasped together to stop them from shaking, but now he just let them drop to his side. _

"_You look breathtaking, Kate," he managed to say._

"_You don't look too bad yourself either, Castle. But are you going to stand here all night drooling or can we go on our date?" She said with a bright smile on her face._

"_Oh right, sorry, of course," he stammered while offering his arm. "Follow me, my lady."_

_They had been in the cab for a while, just holding hands and discussing their last case._

"_You're not even going to ask where we're going?" Castle suddenly asked._

_Kate smiled. "We're headed towards Broadway. I don't need to ask where we're going. I'm a detective, remember? But maybe you could tell me which show we're going to see."_

"_No. No way. You already ruined half of the surprise; I'm not going to ruin the other half. You'll see when we get there." Just then, the cab stopped in front of a small diner. Kate frowned. Why not stop in front of the theatre? She could see it from here. She looked at Castle._

"_Food first, theatre later," he said, as if he sensed her question._

_The inside of the diner was not what Kate had expected. From the outside it looked… well, not as cozy as it was from the inside. They didn't stay long, however. The show started at 8, and they didn't have time for extensive dinner. They just had some French fries and shakes before they headed out towards the theatre. _

_When Castle gave her the tickets, and Kate saw where they were going, she was surprised._

"_Sister Act? As in, like the movie? Oh my god, Rick, how did you know that's one of my favorites?" Kate exclaimed. Castle smiled. _

"_You might be the detective here, but I have connections, Kate. You should know that by now."_

_Well, she never told him, and the only other one who knew-_

"_My dad told you, didn't he?"_

_Castle offered his arm. "Let's go inside, shall we? We don't want to be late."_

_Kate always enjoyed movies and theatre shows. Going with him was better. But going with him as a 'them' was amazing. They laughed most of the time, all the while holding hands and exchanging sweet kisses. She could let go of detective Beckett and be simply Kate. And she loved every minute of it. _

_After the show finished, they hailed a cab and Castle gave the driver Kate's address. _

_Once they reached their destination, he got out with her, telling the driver to wait for a bit. She took his hand and tugged him with her towards the door of her building. Then she turned around._

"_I've really had a great time, Rick. Thanks." She kissed him on the lips and allowed him to enter her mouth with his tongue, before pulling back. She squeezed his hand one more time and then she let go, walking inside and ending a perfect date with that._

_* End flashback * _

"Care to share your happy thoughts with me?"

And just like that, the happy feeling was gone. Kate didn't answer Tyson. Instead, she glared at him. Then she noticed he was holding a phone. Tyson walked towards her with a smug expression on his face.

"It's time to have some fun."

**Almost there! Just hold on, you will be rewarded for your patience.**

**The dress Kate is wearing is the one Stana wore at the Film Independent Spirit Awards 2012.**

**Let me know what you thought of it!**

**-xxx-**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so sorry for the delay! I knew what I wanted in this chapter, but I didn't really know how to do it and how to construct it. And the fact that it's been really hot (think between 95 and 104****F or 35 and 40****C) and that I had to go back to school last week didn't help either. I know it's a lame excuse, but it's the truth.**

**Anyways, here's the new chapter. I hope you like it.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8**

They were all just sitting around. After Hodgins told them he'd found nothing, most people from the two teams had lost a bit more of their hope. Some of it was still there, but every lead they'd had, turned out to be nothing. And really, there was nothing else they could do right now. They were all shaken from their thoughts when a phone rang. It turned out to be Castle's.

He took it out of his pocket. It was an unknown number, but he didn't notice and just answered it.

"Castle."

"_Been a while, hasn't it?" _Just the sound of Jerry Tyson's voice sent shivers down Castle's spine. He sat up straight and put his phone on speaker, laying it down on the table they were all sitting around. He motioned for Ryan, who had a laptop on, to trace the call.

"Tyson, what do you want? Where is Kate?" Castle asked.

Tyson laughed. _"You know I can't answer your second question. As for your first question…You see, I can't keep her alive forever, since I have other things to do. But I'm not a monster; I'll let you two talk for one last time, so you can say goodbye."_

"You son of a-"Castle began.

"_Now don't be mean, or I'm revoking your right to speak to her. I'm being nice here, so you should too."_

Castle looked at Ryan, but Ryan shook his head. He showed him the screen, where Castle could see the signal was bouncing all over the earth.

"Fine. Now let me talk to her." He vaguely heard something that sounded like 'Don't say anything you shouldn't'.

"_Rick?" _Kate's voice came through Castle's phone.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief when they heard her voice.

"Oh thank God you're alive, Kate. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"_I'm fine. But… That's not what I want to talk about. Somewhere in your second year with us, you said I smelled like cherries. And do you remember last year, when we were in that big abandoned warehouse? The one where it was so quiet? You said it again and you asked what I used. I never answered it because it was fun to leave you hanging. But now… I use Yoshino cherry scented shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. I have a whole stack left. Give them to Alexis, will you? And tell her I love her. Tell Martha and my dad too, okay?"_

Tyson cut in then.

"_Tick, tock. Time is ticking."_

"_I love you, Rick."_

Castle had tears in his eyes. He didn't want to say goodbye.

"I love you too, Kate. I love you so very, very much. We all do."

Right then, Tyson hung up. Castle looked up from his phone on the table. He looked at Ryan, but he just shook his head. He also looked guilty, as if he was responsible for not being able to track Tyson's phone. Esposito looked a bit crushed, like he'd lost his little sister while he was supposed to be watching her. Lanie had tears running down her cheeks and stood up abruptly, running away. Esposito ran after her.

Halfway down the hall, Lanie stopped running. She was blinded by tears and couldn't muster up the power to keep going. She heard someone approaching and she just knew it was Javi. She turned around and threw her arms around his neck. Esposito immediately wrapped his arms around her back, holding her tightly.

After a little while, Lanie calmed down enough to speak.

"She's my best friend, Javi. I can't lose her. I can't lose her. I can't…" Sobs took over again.

"I know chica. But we're not giving up yet. There's still hope."

Lanie pulled back, glaring at him as best as she could through her tears.

"We don't have anything. There's nothing we can do. Nothing."

"Giving up won't help her either," Esposito replied.

Lanie sighed and wiped at her cheeks. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just- Sorry."

Esposito wiped the remaining tears on her cheeks away. "You don't have to apologize. I nearly gave up hope too. But we both love her and we need to keep hoping everything's gonna be alright." He kissed her sweetly. "I love you."

Lanie gave him a small smile. "I love you too. Now let's go back to the rest and get our friend back."

Xxx

That was easier said than done. They hadn't been able to trace the call, and really, there was nothing else. Everyone was sitting at the table, their expressions sad. Hodgins noticed and tried to lighten up the mood with some humor.

"Castle, dude, did you really ask Beckett what she used that smelled like cherries? That's girl business, bro."

Castle wanted to glare at him, but then he realized something. "Ryan, could you play the conversation again? Go forward to the part she starts with saying she's fine."

Ryan looked confused, not knowing where he was getting at, but he did it anyway. The others were curious as well.

"_I'm fine. But… That's not what I want to talk about. Somewhere in your second year with us, you said I smelled like cherries. And do you remember last year, when we were in that big abandoned warehouse? The one where it was so quiet? You said it again and you asked what I used. I never answered it because it was fun to leave you hanging. But now… I use Yoshino cherry scented shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. I have a whole stack left. Give them to Alexis, will you? And tell her I love her. Tell Martha and my dad too, okay?"_

Ryan stopped it. "What's the point in this, Castle?"

"Well, the first part is true. I did tell her she smelled like cherries somewhere in our first or second year. But the part of the warehouse… I mean, yeah, sure, we've been into a couple of them, but I'm sure I never asked her about the cherry scent. So why would she-" and then it hit him. "She knew I knew I never asked her about that. That's why she was so detailed. Guys, she's giving us hints! She's trying to tell us where she is!" Castle exclaimed excitingly, glad that he might be able to hold his girlfriend in his arms again.

Esposito immediately took the laptop from Ryan. "It's worth a shot", he explained, seeing the doubt on the faces of the Jeffersonian people and he played the conversation again. While it was playing, Castle was thinking. _"Come on, Castle, think. Think like Kate. Err… warehouse, abandoned, big, cherries, Yoshino-"_

"Esposito, can you look if there are Yoshino cherry trees in DC and where? Cross reference it with abandoned warehouses."

Esposito gave Castle a look for going all bossy on him, but did it anyway. Beckett was his friend too, after all.

Everyone now understood what Castle was thinking, and their expressions grew more hopeful. Lanie took hold of Castle's hand, which was on the table, and she squeezed it.

"Okay, there are quite some Yoshino cherry trees throughout DC, but only five of them have an empty warehouse nearby," Esposito said after a minute or so.

"Five is too much. We need to narrow it down to one," Booth replied. He walked over to Esposito, and looked at the screen as well. "Can you send it to Angela? We need to lay them next to each other, and eliminate four of them. That won't work on this small screen." Esposito nodded and did as told. They all went to Angela's office, where Angela pulled up the five locations next to each other.

"I don't really know this guy, but I don't think Tyson would want to take the risk of neighbors seeing him," Cam said.

Angela nodded. "Let's see… One of them has apartment buildings surrounding it, and one has big companies around. So we can rule those out." She removed them. "But we still have three options left."

"It won't be a busy street, either. More like an alley, or a street that's not used much. Kate said 'The one where it was so quiet'," Castle said after that.

"Okay… That rules out one more. Now we need to figure out which of the two left is the one," Angela said, looking intently at the big screen.

"Angela, can you pull up a map and mark the places where the other two warehouses are?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, sure."

When it was on the big screen, Ryan took a good look at it. "That's what I thought."

They all looked at him questioningly. He pointed at the screen. "See? One of them is on the other end of the city. There's no way he would've made it that far. Every single cop in the city has his photograph. Kate's photograph too. The other one is closer. That's the most logical choice!"

They didn't waste any more time and soon Booth, Ryan, Esposito and Castle were on their way. Esposito was driving, Booth next to him and Ryan and Castle in the back. When they arrived at the warehouse, Castle went to put on his vest so he could go in, but Esposito stopped him.

"Oh, come on, you're not going to leave me outside, are you? I need to go inside with you guys," Castle said.

Esposito shook his head. "Sorry, bro. For all we know this was exactly his plan. We can't take any risks. But we're getting her out of there alive, I promise you."

Castle wanted to protest again, but he knew it was a lost cause, so he put his vest back in the car and stayed behind, while Ryan, Esposito and Booth went in. He watched them disappear inside and prayed for the best.

_Meanwhile, inside the warehouse_

Tyson had left the room after the call but had returned just now, a knife. Kate didn't know how long he'd been gone, but she didn't care. She only prayed Castle had understood the hints she gave him.

Tyson was now standing in front of her, taking her in in a way that made Kate feel a bit sick. He crouched down and started to unbutton her shirt. When it was completely open, he put his hands on her waist, the knife sliding lightly against Kate's skin. He kissed her exposed skin and she shivered. He looked up at her, giving her a sick smile.

"If you're really smart, detective, you don't fight ba-"

"FBI!"  
"NYPD!"

Ryan, Esposito and Booth yelled at the same time.

"Jerry Tyson, hands where we can see them, and turn around slowly!" Booth yelled after that.

Tyson sighed, before raising his hands, dropping the knife and turning around towards the 3 men aiming their guns at him. Ryan and Esposito rushed towards Kate and untied her, while Booth went to cuff Tyson.

Kate stood and stretched her arms, muscles aching from having been tied up for a while. That's when she noticed a small flickering light coming from Tyson's pocket. How did she not notice that before?

Tyson noticed she noticed.

"You people all think you're so smart, but you seem forget something every time."

That's when the object started beeping as well. Kate shouted "Run!" to the three men that came to rescue her, and they started to run, leaving Tyson behind.

Not long after, an explosion was heard.

**Hope you don't mind the cliffhanger…**

**This is one of the last chapters, there will only be 1 or 2 more. (Or maybe, very, very maybe 3) I don't know yet, it depends on what my head's gonna come up with.**

**As always, I'd love to know what you think.**

**-xxx-**


	9. Chapter 9

**A****s I read over some of my previous chapters, I noticed some mistakes and things I just forgot. It happens every time, even when I think it doesn't, but I hope you can read through it.**

**Sorry you had to wait for so long, but I hope this chapter is worth it.**

**Chapter 9**

After the explosion, Castle stared in shock at the building in front of him and tears formed in his eyes.

"No. Kate. Oh god. No. No."

All he could think about was the love of his life and how close they'd been. Losing her was bad, but losing her when they were so close to having her back was even worse. It wasn't fair. Even though it had already been a year, they'd just begun their life _together. _And it wasn't just Kate. His friends were in there too. His partners. His buddies. And they too had friends and lovers who cared about them. Jenny, Lanie, Bren-

And that's when he saw it. Four shadows coming through the smoke. At first, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be…

But the shadows became clearer now. Three males, one female. Ryan and Esposito were slightly supporting Kate, and Booth came just after them.

The second he made eye contact with Kate, he ran towards her and she did the same. When he reached her, he wrapped her in a tight hug, lifting her slightly off the ground with it. He put her down pretty quickly, but he never loosened his grip, and neither did she. Tears were rolling down their cheeks, having thought they would never be able to see each other again, let alone holding each other.

Neither of them knew how long they'd been standing there, but eventually they pulled apart enough to look at each other. Kate had her arms around his neck, while his were around her waist. Then, Rick removed one arm from around her and wiped at her cheeks with one thumb, removing the tears that were still resting there. He looked at her with so much love, and touched her so tenderly, that Kate couldn't help but smile and lean forward to kiss him softly on the lips.

"I love you, Rick," she whispered after they'd broken the kiss, moving her arms to circle around his waist, putting a little bit of distance between them.

"I love you too, Kate," he whispered back. "When that bomb exploded… I really thought I'd lost you. I just stared at those flames and all I could think about the wonderful time I'd had with you, and the wonderful times that were yet to come. God, I- I wouldn't know what I'd do without you Kate and I-" he looked away as tears formed in his eyes again.

She put her hand on his cheek to make him look at her again. "Hey, I'm here. I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm okay, really." She gave him a sympathetic smile. This made Castle chuckle dryly, which, in turn, made Kate's expression go from sympathetic to confused.

"I should be the one comforting you, not the other way around," he explained. "I should be the man in this relationship."

"You do realize you'll be the girl in this relationship, no matter what you do, right?" Kate teased.

Castle gasped and feigned a hurt expression, which made Kate laugh at him. He stared at the beautiful sight in front of him, and he was glad they'd fallen back into their usual routine so easily.

Xxx

About two hours later, the fire was extinguished. Kate, Ryan, Esposito and Booth had already been checked by doctors. Cam and Booth entered the building again, making sure Tyson was dead, and that it hadn't been just a trick. When they reached the room, they saw the body, heavily burned.

"You think it's Tyson?" Cam asked, still not really convinced.

Booth nodded. "I kinda recognize the clothes, and of course the detonator. And even if I didn't, he wouldn't have had enough time to get a body in here and get out in time. I'm sure it's him."

"You have a point. But I'm still going to check it when we're back in the lab. I don't want anything to go wrong with this one. Can you get a team in here?"

Booth nodded again and walked outside while calling for a team. When he finished his call, he walked over to Kate and the boys.

"You can head back to the hotel, if you want. We've got this."

Kate immediately shook her head. "No way. I want to head back to the Jeffersonian, finish up the case. I can't just go and sit around doing nothing." Ryan and Esposito hummed in agreement, backing up Kate's decision.

"That's fine with me too, but I just thought you could use some rest," Booth replied. "You can go already; we'll come later with the body."

Kate nodded and turned around, Ryan, Esposito and Castle in her wake.

Xxx

Lanie was the first to notice Kate walking into the lab. She jumped up with tears in her eyes and hugged Kate tightly. Lanie sniffed then and pulled back, scrunching up her nose.

"Girl, you smell like you've held your straightener in one place for too long," she said, trying to cover up her fear that she might have lost her best friend. "What the hell happened?"

"Tyson had a bomb," Kate said and Lanie gasped while covering her mouth with her hand, her cover up act long forgotten.

"We ran out of the building before it was too late. Tyson didn't survive, however," Kate rushed to explain.

"So it's over now?" Lanie asked.

"Yeah, we only need to finish up some loose ends and then it's over."

Lanie nodded and stepped away from her friend, knowing that they needed to finish this.

Kate received some welcome backs and then went back to work. Castle, Ryan and Esposito helped her, while Cam, Lanie and Wendell went to work on Tyson's body, which had just been brought in by Booth.

Xxx

The whole afternoon they'd been busy doing all the necessary things to finish up the case. Kate had also called her dad to tell him she was okay, and Castle had texted Alexis and his mother to tell the same.

Now, all the team members were sitting together, talking about the case. Castle, however, wasn't completely involved in the conversations. Suddenly, he got an idea. There was something he'd been thinking about a lot recently, and now he'd figured it out. He stood up and cleared his throat. Everyone looked at him expectantly.

"I think everyone is feeling a bit drained out about now, but how about we all go to the Royal Diner tomorrow evening? We could officially end this case and it'll be some sort of goodbye as well." He looked at the others. "What do you think?"

Everyone hummed in agreement, and Cam spoke up. "I suggest we all go home now. It's been a long few days, and we can all use our rest. Everyone is off tomorrow, and say we'll meet around 7 at the Royal Diner? We'll have dinner together, a perfect goodbye to me."

Again, everyone hummed in agreement. Then, they stood up, said their goodbyes and left.

Xxx

Castle and Kate were just a tad later than their coworkers, and just as they were about to leave, it started to rain. Castle stopped dead in his tracks when he saw it, but Kate smiled and took his hand, running outside and pulling him with her. Within a matter of seconds, they were both soaked. Kate released his hand again and started to run faster.

"Race you to the hotel!" she yelled over her shoulder. Castle shook his head and started to run after her, but he knew he'd never be able to beat her. And indeed, when he reached their hotel room, he saw her leaning against the wall, pretending to check her watch.

"Getting old, Ricky?" she teased.

"You had a head start!" He exclaimed as a protest while opening the door and going inside. She followed him and closed the door behind her. When Castle turned around and took in the sight in front of him, he was struck by the resemblance of the night that had changed their lives.

Well, except that they were both wet now.

Just then, lightning flashed and thunder could be heard. He couldn't resist and placed his hands on her cheeks, kissing her softly and deeply. He pulled back and gave her a smile so full of love, that she put her lips over his again immediately. The kisses grew more heated as the minutes rolled by, and soon their wet coats were on the floor, creating a small puddle of water underneath. Kate pushed him backwards towards the bedroom, their wet clothes leaving a trail behind them.

When they reached the bed, Kate pushed Castle down onto the bed, a beautiful night full of emotion and passion between two lovers following that.

Xxx

_The next day_

Brennan stood at the crib, looking at her sleeping daughter, when she felt two strong arms encircling her. She smiled and put her hands on top of his.

"She's so beautiful," Booth whispered in her ear, careful not to wake their little girl.

"She is, isn't she?" Brennan spoke back softly.

Even though they'd whispered, Jade opened her eyes. They were pale blue-greyish, with gold around the irises, just like her mother's. She stretched her little arms out, and Brennan picked her up, holding her close.

"Oh god, Bones, she looks exactly like you," Booth breathed out. "She's definitely going to be a mini-you."

Brennan nodded absentmindedly, stroking her daughter's forehead. Together, they stood there for a while, until Booth spoke up again.

"I hate to break this wonderful moment, but we should get Jade ready to go to the sitter, and we should be getting ready for dinner."

"Yeah, you're right," Brennan replied. She felt sorry for leaving behind Jade so soon after she was born, but she knew that she couldn't stick with her daughter 24/7 without having problems leaving her later on. So, she went to get Jade and herself ready.

Xxx

They'd had a lot of fun throughout dinner, and now, afterwards, the teams were telling each other stories and laughed about them.

"Oh, remember that time with the tiger?" Esposito asked, laughing at the memory.

Angela choked on her drink. "A tiger?" she managed to say after swallowing a few times.

Kate laughed as well.

"Yeah, Castle and I woke up cuffed in some sort of basement, not really remembering how we got there at first. We tried to escape through a hatch high up, and we ended up doing some kind of circus act, but fell down when a guy opened it." She winced at the memory of falling down hard. "Anyway, at some point, we thought there was a child on the other side of the wall, so we made a hole in the wall, but-" She burst out laughing as she remembered what happened when Castle put his head through.

"I looked through the hole, looking for the child, but I was met with the sight of a tiger that nearly bit my head off," Castle finished.

Everyone at the table burst out laughing, and Castle pretended to be hurt, which wasn't the first time he'd done that while he was in D.C.

"I would've loved to see that," Hodgins said.

"How did it end?" Cam asked, and Kate carried on again.

"It entered our room, but there was this huge box which we put upright, and we climbed on top of it." Kate glared at Castle when some people raised their eyebrows. "It was his _bright _idea, not mine. Ryan and Esposito found us, but were held off by the people who'd taken us. After a few minutes, the tiger pushed us over, but we managed to hold onto the pipes on the ceiling."

"You should've seen them," Ryan laughed. "Hanging there looking like monkeys in a forest."

Everyone laughed again, including Kate, and when Castle looked at her, laughing that bright laugh of hers, he knew. Now was the time. He took a glass and tapped against it with a knife to draw everyone's attention. His hands were getting sweaty though, so he quickly put them down again.

The laughter had subdued and everyone was now looking at him again. Castle stood up and cleared his throat, not noticing how he was repeating himself a lot this trip.

"I'd like to say something. To Kate, actually." He turned to her and in turn, she turned a bit more towards him than she already was.

"I'm…" Castle shook his head a little and started over. "You're…" he chuckled as he got stuck. "You know, I had planned this whole speech full of poetic crap, but there's really not much I want to say." He took a breath and continued. "I love you Kate. And that night when you came to me, I- It made me so happy. A year has passed since, and I loved every second of it. But I… I want to make sure you're mine. I want to claim you and have a good reason for it. I want to show you off to the world, not just as my girlfriend. So, what I'm really trying to say is…" he took a small velvet box out of his pocket and got down on one knee in front of Kate. He opened the box, revealing a beautiful golden ring with diamonds imbedded in it.

"Kate, will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?"

Tears sprung into Kate's eyes and her hand flew to her mouth. She nodded yes, before actually giving her answer.

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you, Rick. Of course I will." She got off her chair and kissed Castle full on the mouth. A tear of happiness escaped from her eyes and Castle pulled back, wiping the lonely tear away with his free hand, before pulling her back up and sliding the ring on her finger.

They kept looking into each other's eyes until a small squeal was heard. A bit ashamed (a tiny, tiny bit) that they'd forgotten about the others, they turned towards the sound.

Lanie jumped up from her chair and ran towards Kate, hugging the life out of her.

"I'm so happy for you, honey. So very, very happy. You really deserve this. Both of you."

Everyone was standing now, congratulating the happy couple. They all sat down again afterwards, but Lanie, Ryan and Esposito gathered around Castle, walking forward. They urged him to step back until he almost hit the wall. It kind of scared him.

"You better not hurt her, bro," Esposito started.

"She's like our sister," Ryan continued.

"Yeah, you better take care of her, writer boy," Lanie added.

"If you don't hold yourself to that, we know how to hide a body." - Ryan.

"And I know how to leave no forensic evidence behind." – Lanie.

"Do you get it?" – Esposito.

Castle gulped. "Loud and clear."

Ryan and Esposito simultaneously patted him on the shoulder.

"But we're really happy for the both of you," Ryan added at last. They all headed back to the table, Castle walking just the slightest bit behind his three friends. Kate eyed them suspiciously.

"Guys, you didn't just threaten my _fiancé_, did you?" She asked, putting extra emphasis on the word fiancé.

Esposito shook his head. "Nah, just clarifying somethin'." Kate just nodded, not totally buying it but also not wanting to engage any further.

Castle, however, did not really notice. All he could think about was how good that sounded.

Her fiancé.

**So. Uhm. Well. Okay. Let me know what you think?**

**-xxx-**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows! I really appreciate them all 3**

**I know that there are things in this story, how small they may be, that might not be true or just simply don't exist. Most of them I just made up to make the story easier. Hope you didn't mind or got confused by it. **

**Here's the last chapter.**

**Chapter 10**

Everyone was at the airport, exchanging hugs and handshakes and saying their goodbyes.

"You guys should really come to New York some time," Lanie said just before they really had to leave. "And bring the kids with you as well."

"We will, Lanie, we definitely will," Cam replied. "Now hurry up or you'll miss your flight."

They all said goodbye one more time before the New Yorkers turned around and left to go home.

Xxx

Castle and Kate were seated next to each other on the plane (how surprising). Castle remembered some funny story about him and Alexis, and he was about to tell Kate, when he saw Kate. Really saw Kate. She was turned away from him, her whole body radiating sadness.

"Kate? What's wrong? Are you okay?" She didn't respond. "Please, Kate, talk to me."

Kate turned to him, tears in her eyes. "It's just- The past couple of days have been rough and… I guess it's just sinking in on me now." She wiped away a tear and shrugged. "It's no big deal."

But Castle saw though her façade and pulled up the armrest, tugging her to him. Kate gave in and snuggled up to him, silently accepting his comfort. This triggered a memory.

_* Flashback *_

_This day sucked. The case they were working on sucked. Hell, her whole week sucked. Kate opened the door to their loft and kicked off her shoes. As she walked through, she flung her coat over a chair and tossed her keys and bag somewhere on the table. Then she just waltzed on through the study on her way to the bedroom. She was stopped however by her boyfriend's voice._

"_Kate? Is something wrong?"_

_As she turned around, Castle could swear he saw steam coming out of her ears._

"_Is there something wrong? Are you really asking if there's something wrong? You would have known if you had been there! I worked my ass off this week and had to deal with things no one wants to deal with, but you were here, safely inside the loft, nowhere near. So yeah, you could say something is wrong!" She yelled at him, turning towards the bedroom and slamming the door behind her._

_Castle stared in shock at the closed door. What had he done wrong now? _

_Whatever it was, he decided to let her cool off for a bit, not sure if he would continue to live if he entered now._

_Kate didn't even know why she got so mad. She just… did. She stormed on into the bedroom, slamming that door shut as well. When she reached the sink, she turned on the faucet, splashing some cold water in her face. She closed it again and braced her hands on the sides of the sink. She breathed slowly in and out, and as she calmed down, she began to feel bad. She hadn't meant to snap it him like that, really. But with everything going on, it just happened._

_Oh god, what had she done? Rick was probably so mad at her right now. And he had every right to be, she figured. She needed to fix this. Now. _

_Kate turned around and walked out of the bathroom with confident strides, but as she got closer to the door that led to Rick's study, she walked slower and slower, until she stood still in front of the closed door. She put her hand on the handle, ready to push it down. But she hesitated. What if he was really, really angry? Kate shook her head. Then she opened the door._

_Castle stood up as she opened the door to his study, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Kate beat him to it. She wasn't looking him in the eyes, but she started to speak anyways._

"_I'm sorry, Rick. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that, and I didn't mean what I said. I know you're mad, but… It's just- I've been feeling like crap the whole week, and this case is eating at me, and I missed your presence and I know that all of this isn't an excuse and you still have every right to be angry, but"_

_Castle shut her off by putting one hand on her shoulder, and his other under her chin, making her look up at him. That's when he saw the tears._

"_What in the world makes you think I'm angry?"_

"_You mean you're not? But I was so… so… mean and-" a sob prevented Kate from finishing her sentence._

"_Oh, honey," Castle murmured and he pulled her into his embrace, holding her tight. "Kate, you're blowing this way out of proportion. So, you've had a rough week and today it became too much. It happens. You shouldn't worry so much about it." He kissed her on top of the head and pulled back, wiping away her tears. He gave her a smile, which she returned, though somewhat watery._

"_Thanks Rick. You really have a way with words."_

_Castle shrugged. "I'd have a problem if I didn't. I'm a writer after all." Kate slapped him playfully on the chest at this._

"_How about we watch a movie? Something funny, maybe," he suggested._

_Kate nodded, and Castle led her out of the study, towards the living room. He put on the TV and a movie, and then sat down in the corner of the couch. Kate, who had been sitting somewhere in the middle, snuggled up to him. Castle put his arm around her and Kate smiled. She looked at the TV, where some way too funny movie started, and soon the earlier events were out of her thoughts._

_* End of flashback *_

"What are you smiling at?" Castle asked Kate.

She looked up at him and shrugged. "Just a memory." She went to continue and explain, but the seatbelt signs lit up, indicating they were almost there. She just gave him a vague smile and leaned back, pulled down the armrest and fastened her seat belt.

Xxx

They'd just collected their suitcases, and now they were standing together, much like last time. Only now, the mood was better. Much better.

"I'll try to convince Gates to get us some days off, and otherwise I'll see you tomorrow," Kate said.

A chorus of 'see ya' was heard, and soon they were all going their own ways.

Xxx

Kate and Castle entered the loft and Castle called out to his daughter as he closed the door behind them. "Alexis? We're home!" He took over Kate's suitcase and then heard someone running down the stairs. But before he could turn to his left, a flash of red went past him.

Kate was a bit startled as Alexis wrapped her arms tight around her, but she quickly recovered and wrapped her arms around the girl and kissed her on top of the head.

Castle sent her a small, but loving smile and then took off towards the laundry room with the suitcases, giving his girls some privacy. Kate watched him disappear behind the door, but her attention was turned back to Alexis as she felt the girl's shoulders shaking. Her heart broke as she realized that Alexis was crying. She detached herself somewhat, and instead put one arm around Alexis' shoulder, walking towards the couch. She sat down and pulled the girl down with her, and Alexis snuggled up to Kate, still crying. Kate didn't speak; she just tightened her grip a little.

Alexis eventually calmed down and she pulled back a little, wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks. Then she looked up at Kate, who was still patiently waiting for her to speak up.

"When dad told me that you were gone, I- I don't know, I just-" Alexis looked down at her hands and took a breath, starting over. "You mean so much to me, Kate. I've always had respect for you, even if I didn't show it. And when you were around more, I came to love you. You're the mother figure that I never really had. I mean, Meredith is my biological mother, but she was never there for me, only when it was convenient to her. And you… you always seem to make time for me. I can also see that you and dad really love each other, and we always have so much fun, and I… I can't imagine my life without you anymore. We may not be blood related, but you do feel like a mom to me." Alexis looked up at Kate again, who now had tears in her eyes as well.

"It's okay if you don't feel like that, Kate. I understand if you don't love me like that. I mean, I'm not your kid after all and-" She was cut off by Kate wrapping her arms around her.

"Oh, Alexis, you sweet, sweet girl. Of course I love you." Kate pulled back again, wanting to look Alexis in the eyes. "Look, I'd never try to replace Meredith, but if you'll accept me as a mother, I'll gladly be that person to you, okay?"

Alexis nodded, but her expression turned to thoughtful, or maybe insecure.

"Alexis? Is there something else?" Kate asked in a kind tone.

Alexis started to fiddle. She opened her mouth, but closed it again. She took a breath. "Can I call you mom?" she then blurted out quickly.

Kate's arms were around her again in an instant. "Of course you can, sweetheart."

"Thanks, _mom_." Just then, they heard something that sounded like a sniff. Their heads simultaneously turned towards the sound. Castle was standing there, tears forming in his eyes, but he wasn't willing to let them fall.

"Are you crying, Rick?" Kate asked.

"Maybe," he replied.

Kate and Alexis both rose and walked over to him and Castle pulled them into his arms.

"I'm so proud of both of you, you know?" he said.

The door opened and then closed again. Castle, Kate and Alexis broke apart and looked at Martha, who'd just entered. She walked over to them and hugged Kate.

"Kate, darling, I'm so thrilled to see you alive and well," she said.

Martha pulled back and studied Kate, then noticed the ring on her finger. "Oh my, Richard finally popped the question?" she asked. "How wonderful!"

Alexis, who hadn't noticed the ring yet, walked in front of Kate and took her left hand. "Oh my god, mom, you and dad are engaged? The ring is so beautiful! And how did I not notice this?"

Martha's eyebrows raised the slightest bit when she heard the word 'mom' falling from Alexis' lips, but Castle just smiled and shook his head a little. He stepped forward and put his arm around Kate's waist, pulling her into his chest. Kate smiled and held her hand up, looking at the ring sparkling on her finger.

"Yeah, he asked me while we were having dinner with the team from the Jeffersonian. It was quite romantic." She turned her head around to her fiancé and gave him a sweet kiss. Then she turned back to Martha and Alexis. "I hope that you're okay with this?" she said questioningly.

"Of course we are," they both said at the same time. Not a second after that, the doorbell sounded.

"That'll be our food," Castle said. "I figured we'd all be hungry, so I went ahead and ordered Chinese." Then he walked over to the door to open it and get their food. In the meanwhile, the three women took out everything else they needed.

Not long after, the four of them were seated at the table, enjoying their dinner while chatting and laughing.

"So dad, this thing with Tyson, it's over? For once and for all?" Alexis asked at a certain point.

"It is, Pumpkin. It is. For once and for all."

**Well, that's it. The end of this story. **

**I know Pythagoras said something like 'Don't say a little in many words but a great deal in a few', but yeah… **

**Well, I hope this chapter was not too ... you know, fluffy and all. I would really like to know what you thought of it.**

**And thanks to you all for the reviews, favs and follows throughout this story. They really helped me :)**

**-xxx-**


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